


Scenes from the Middle Game

by chancecraz



Series: Of Queens, Knights, and Pawns [2]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Angst, F/M, Gen, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-17
Updated: 2018-11-27
Packaged: 2018-12-30 18:13:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 149,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12114384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chancecraz/pseuds/chancecraz
Summary: A series of one shots that present the perspective of other characters in Queens, Knights, and Pawns. I recommend you read that work first.





	1. Vader

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into 中文 available: [[Translation] Scenes from the Middle Game](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12570572) by [Acyancat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Acyancat/pseuds/Acyancat)



> So in celebration in getting 30,000 hits on Queens, I made an offer to write scenes from the perspective of any character on my Tumblr. Of course this is me, so the "scenes" turned into something a bit more complicated. As I finish them I will be posting them here. 
> 
> So, because it's the first one I finished, here is sethnakht's, who asked for any scene from Vader's POV. I choose the interrogation of Leia in the Death Star. Hope you enjoy.

Tarkin’s office was as sterile as he was. Vader entered, and it was like every other one the man had ever had. No pompous displays of wealth and privilege, with walls that were empty of art. The only thing in the room was the overly large desk sitting in the middle. Perhaps that was the point of the lack of anything else. You immediately had nowhere to look but at the person sitting there.

“Lord Vader,” Tarkin said, not bothering to rise, but at least he lifted his eyes from the report he was reading “Report?”

“We have brought Princess Leia of Alderaan aboard.”

“Just her?” Tarkin’s eyebrows lifted in surprise.

When their prey had stopped above that planet  Vader had been convinced that the Force had found a new twisted way to torment him. It had compromised his control while interrogating the prisoners that had been captured aboard the _Tantive IV_. Leaving him with only this pampered Senator to question.

“She is the only survivor.”

Tarkin's eyebrows furrowed, “I see,” He placed the data reader down and leaned back in his chair, fingers steepling.

“Do you have the plans?”

“I have left a contingent of stormtroopers on Tatooine. They will soon be back in our hands.”

Tarkin’s eyes narrowed “You didn’t go yourself?” Obviously, since Vader was standing right in front of him. “Unusual for you not to personally see to the details.”

Only the Emperor himself could order him to step foot on that hell hole of a planet. “I felt it was more important to deliver the Princess here.” The Senate was already on edge due to the events at Jedha. It was important that most of that body believe the concocted story of the pirates raiding the ship. Staying in orbit with her might cause more people than necessary to question that lie. That would cause inconveniences to his Master. Vader tried to avoid causing inconveniences to his Master. It quickly evolved into pain and inconvenience for him.

“Hmmm. Perhaps.” Tarkin said. That half smile of condescension crossed his face “I’m pleased to tell you that body is no longer our concern. I have just received word from the Emperor himself that the Senate had been disbanded.”

He was rejoicing in the fact that he had the information before Vader did, thus bringing into question the decision to leave Tatooine before securing the plans. No matter. Political machinations were something he avoided all costs. He preferred action. It was necessary to play this game with Tarkin. The Moff's own rank in the Empire was too high to simply kill him. But no one else. His Master found fault with that. As a Sith, he should revel in these power games. Vader only found it tedious and boring.  This was nothing new between them, it was a state of affairs that had existed since the beginning.

“Do the Admirals and Moff on board know yet?” he asked in a neutral tone. They were here to witness the revealing of this weapon. This useless piece of technology. He did not share his Master’s faith in this project. It was too large, too unwieldy, and too many resources had been poured into it. It was foolish to put this much effort into one target. And all for the sake of eliminating the Senate.

"No,” Tarkin said, his mouth twitching with his displeasure at the lack of Vader’s reaction. It’s not if he wasn’t used to playing this game with the man, no matter how much it bored him. “I thought perhaps we would tell them together.”

Of course, he did. Tarkin was enjoying his current position as the Emperor’s perceived favorite, but the Moff was too wily to ever bring this game into a more public setting. His Master would not be pleased with anyone who undercut Vader’s authority and reputation as someone to be feared to the lesser ranks of the Empire.

Tarkin drummed his finger on the table, “Princess Leia. Are you familiar with her?”

Yes. He had first met her when she was a political attache to her father. He had rounded a corner and his wife’s face had stared back up at him. This wasn’t the first time that had happened to him. Several times over the last two decades had run into women who resembled his wife. The galaxy was a large place, and such things happened.

This had been different. It was the first time he saw the face of Padme, not as his wife, but as the girl he first met. He had said nothing, caught up in his silent grief, just staring at her. The Princess had been apologetic, but not servile. She had given a polite nod of her head, and it had taken great discipline not to follow her.

Over the next year, he kept seeing that face and kept being hit anew, for one moment, with overwhelming grief. That was also different. With all those other look-alikes the illusion only lasted until he got a good look at them. The Princess did nothing in those glimpses of her to break the illusion. When he saw her in the Senate dome she was always rushing somewhere, and with a determined look on her face so like Padme’s. He never talked to her during these sightings. He wasn’t even sure he could. It wasn’t until he was at an official function, celebrating Empire Day, that his attention had narrowed in on her for other reasons.

He had been standing at the edges, observing the useless crowd in front of him. They were parading in front of his Master like Jawas before an unguarded scrap pile. He felt a small flare of irritation flick through the Force. Not enough for him mistake the owner as a trained Jedi or even a Padawan, but there was someone at this party who had the ability to feel the Force.

He searched the crowd, and when he felt it again, he found the source to be her. She had been talking to a Rodian diplomat, her face a mask of nothing but pleasantness, and dressed in a simple gown the Alderaan's favored. Fascinated he studied her for the rest of the evening as she flitted about, talking to various dignitaries. The Force was with her. Muted, but there. She did not have the strength to be recruited to the Jedi, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t be used for other purposes.

His Master surely must have noticed, but when pressed later that night about it, he had waved her away as a candidate for the Inquisitor program. “Bail is too well connected, and Alderaan is too beloved, and too wealthy, to strike such a blow now. She has some potential, I grant you, but it certainly isn’t enough to justify the outrage it would cause if we detained her.”

“Bail could be charged with falsifying the results of her Testing.” he pointed out. It was mandatory all newborn citizens be screened. “It’s a vulnerability on a man who doesn’t have many.”

His Master only chuckled “Patience old friend. Patience. Soon we will have no need of either Bail or the Senate. And Alderaan will be too afraid to openly defy us.”

He hadn’t wanted to let the matter go. Something about her pulled at him in the Force, beyond the fact that she was a small brunette politician. But after that night Jarrus and his false apprentice became a nuisance of themselves on the Outer Rim. In their wake followed the re-emergence of Ahsoka. The Princess had fallen to the back of his mind.

After Malachor, Vader gave some thought to using her as the first of the new Inquisitors. His Master had said no. Vader then began to actively try to catch her in helping the Rebels on her ‘mercy missions’ but up until today, she had frustratingly remained out of reach. With the Senate gone, he could petition his Master anew about breaking her into a more useful object for the Empire.

“We’ve had some encounters in the past.”

Tarkin drummed his fingers on the table “Doesn’t it strike you as odd she would order her ship to stop there? Are you sure she wasn’t trying to reach someone on that planet?”

A member of the Rebellion? On Tatooine?  Why would anyone bother with it? Unless you were a Hutt.

“Unlikely,” he said “The planet is remote and firmly under the control of the Hutts. They are much less discreet about handling insurgents then we are. More than likely she was just looking for a remote outpost to do another jump from in the hopes of evading us.”

Tarkin’s eyes narrowed “Possible. Either way, she is in our hands. And she knows the location of the Rebel’s base. Find out!” A true smile crossed his face “Perhaps the Alliance can finally be of some use to the Empire after all. We can use their base as the first demonstration of this station’s strength.”

“As you wish,” he offered tonelessly.

 

As the door opened Vader saw the Princess standing in front of the built-in bench, her hands clasped in front of her. Her white gown was a bright beacon of light in the otherwise dark cell. Her eyes widened as she took him in, fear taking a hold of her. Even from several feet away, he could see her trembling. He climbed down the stairs, bored already. This would go as so many interrogations of the rebels had. They would offer defiance but would fold quickly. They all did, his mere presence was enough to see to that.

There had been a time when that wasn’t the case. When there had been a woman who would greet him with a wide open smile. He brought his mind to the here and now. That had been long ago and he had no need for such smiles now. He needed to be here, in this cell. To this young girl, panic suffusing the Force around her.

“And now your highness we will discuss the location of your hidden rebel base.” The door came down, creating a small thump. She flinched at the sound of it, but then her face hardened and it smoothed over to a calm facade. It was...impressive. He usually didn’t see such control in one so young.

Then she spoke. “Is it still Imperial procedure that these ‘sessions’ aren’t recorded?” She asked as if they were discussing a minor point of legislation in the Senate.

This was unexpected. Vader felt his lashes come down in a long slow blink. “What?” he found himself asking, sure he couldn't have heard correctly.

“Is this being recorded?” she repeated.

“No,” he informed her, speaking slowly, trying to think through what game she was playing.  “this is not.”

“Good,” she gave a nod of her head. Her eyes flicked to the guards at his side, and he swore for a moment he saw self-recrimination cross her face.

Then in a voice so reminiscent of his Master and his useless cronies, she snidely informed him “You are going to want to send them away.” She waved at the guards as if they were insects she could swat.

Curious, he stepped closer to her. She didn't flinch, but she did tense. “I will?” he asked.

At his mocking tone, her lips thinned, but she continued on in that imperious tone. “Yes, I have several things to say that you won’t want Tarkin to hear.”

Ahh, that was her game. “Blackmail?” he asked her. And what did this precocious child think she had on him? He gave in to the impulse to chide her. It had been so long since he had the impulse to do anything that he wasn’t ordered to. “I thought the standards of a member of the Imperial Senate would preclude such an act.”

She simply stared at him, trying her best to guess where his eyes were, maintaining steady contact. “You are going to want them to leave.” She left it at that. There was no begging, no pleading, no sly hints. Vader found, much to his wonder, a flicker of surprise. This was in no way going the way these things usually did. And from this pampered child no less. Let’s see what the little princess had to say for herself.  

“Very well.” He waved his hand and the guards, obedient as always, silently filed out of the room. He watched her attentively, seeing if she was foolish enough to rush past him into the hallway. He didn't think so, but this entire conversation had already taken several unexpected turns.

The interrogation droid, which he had not shut off yet, continued to increase in volume. Vader found it helpful in rendering his victims scared before he had even started. It put them in a state of heightened fear before the drugs contained within were administered. His Master had accused him of going soft and embracing some long lost morals. Vader simply found it more efficient and told his master so. Causing pain or not causing pain was irrelevant, getting the information as fast as he could was the goal. His Master had said nothing to that, but Vader could feel the whiplash of his displeasure.

One small hand came up and pointed to the droid. Very clearly she announced “That won’t work,” like she was assuring him of a fundamental law of the universe.

So young and so very naive. “I assure you, Princess, that it will.”

She took in a deep breath, and Vader could feel her reaching for her calm. “When I say that it won't work I speak from experience, not conviction.  This won’t work. Your droid pumps me full of drugs, that fails. You bang at my mental walls, that fails. Tarkin threatens Alderaan with this mechanical abomination. That also fails. I am not telling you where the base is.”   

Vader simply stood there, absorbing her words. They had been said in Basic. He understood the structure of them. But it was all so ludicrous. He felt a tickle in the back of his throat. He was shocked to realize it was a laugh.

This needed clarification “Experience?”

She snorted  “Yes, I went to sleep on the worst day of my life and woke to find myself in the past on the second worst day of my life.”  She began to speak up to compensate for the increasingly louder torture droid. “As experiences go, I don’t recommend it.” The bitterness was clear in her tone even though she was practically shouting at the end.

She was telling the truth. No, she _believed_ she was telling the truth. Vader waved his hand, silencing the high pitched noise of the droid. It wouldn't take long to play this little game of hers, and the feeling of true novelty for the first time in forever was worth the extra time.

“This is an interesting approach to avoiding interrogation.” he observed.

Amusement crossed her face. “You think I am lying?” So, she was aware he could tell the difference.

Vader blinked. It had been a long time since someone had challenged him so openly but without malice. Mostly it was double innuendo and death threats. It was rather novel.  “No,” he replied “You believe you are telling the truth.  But a weak mind can find refuge in many different ways.”

She raised her eyebrow “You think I am weak minded?”

No, he didn’t. Even in the few encounters he had with her she had never struck him as someone who was easily persuadable. It was another factor in his initial avoidance of her. She had reminded him of another strong-willed politician.

Out of long habit, he began to pace, needing the movement while he thought through his next move. He could only walk three steps. The structure of the cell impeded his movements. He turned, his arms clasped behind his back as he studied her. Where the difference between her and his ghost was the Princesses’ temper. A rather violate one if he were to judge. He had seen her swallow it too many times in official functions to think she would be a passive combatant in this fight. She had no reason to hold back here. She was afraid, which is what usually happens when he entered any room. But it was contained, and she hadn’t even hinted she would crumble.

She simply waited as he assessed his options. That was unusual for her. What he knew of her was of fire and quick movement. She stood now as if she had all the time in the galaxy for his answer. “No,” he admitted, “I do not.”

She shrugged. “An impasse then.”

This was ridiculous. He had lived a life full of ridiculous things, but this was beyond belief. “What you claim is not possible,” he informed her.

Her face twisted, and whatever words she initially thought she did not say. Ahh, there was her fire. She swung her arms out, encompassing the cell “Yet here I am.” The Force still did not ring false. For all her passion though, she was not stupid. She would not have evaded him so often if she was.

“Why confess such a thing to me?” he countered, more to see her reaction then truly believing she was lying “If this is true, you have the events of the future at your disposal.  That would make you a more valuable source of intelligence, not less.”

A look of consternation passed over her face, and he felt her reluctance as she said “You would have figured out something was wrong the minute you touched my mind.”

Vader felt a small huff of annoyance. So far her logic was sound. But she could have been warned of his abilities. Either way, she had made the invitation. He reached out, not expecting much beyond the basic training of any high-ranking rebel, for all the good it did against him.

His half-hearted effort was met with a strong wall powered by the Force.

In the second it took his mind to wrap around what exactly he was feeling the Dark Side howled. This was a technique used by the Jedi. She had learned this from a _Jedi._ They had survived, despite everything he had done, everything he had sacrificed to make sure their kind would never again plague the Galaxy. He firmed the touch, trying to get a true feel of that strength in the Force, it was more than he was expecting, and her shields tightened in return. This was no simple static wall, she could _manipulate_ it. He stalked over to her, only the barest thread of sanity reminding him that he would get no answers from a corpse.

“You are a Jedi!”  he hissed.

She looked up at him, wary, not but not flinching. “No.”

Arrogant child. “Your lies will not save you, your highness. Not here.”

“I am no Jedi.” There was a bitter laugh at that and the feeling of regret? Sorrow? Pride? Vader wasn’t sure.  “But the Force is strong in my family.” Her gaze slid over his shoulder. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw her finger move. He felt her touch in the Force, sure and easy. The droid let out a squeal as he felt her spin it like a child would a top.

Her gaze returned to his “I will not be left defenseless on any battlefield Lord Vader.” There was a wealth of feeling in that statement. At one time this girl - no woman, no matter how youthful the face, this was a woman standing before him. At one time she had been made to feel helpless. The durasteel in her tone brooked no argument. “I was taught how to shield myself and to move small objects, no more.  A few small tricks only.”

Vader took a step back, her words breaking through his haze of rage. Small trick? She considered both of those actions a small trick? No, it didn’t require a great deal of power to move a droid. But to be able to reach out with such ease, and spin it, instead of sending it careening across the room spoke of a great deal of control. Her manipulation of her shields in response to his actions was also not considered an easy thing to do either.

She didn't know that though. Interesting. Whoever her tutor was, he had been an idiot. She clearly had the potential to be so much more.

Speaking of which. “And who taught you?”

Her face relaxed, and a small genuine smile crossed it “A very wise loved one.”

The truth, but not helpful. “The name of this Jedi? “ he demanded.

She shook her head. “No. There are many things I’ll tell you, but not that.”

There was a ring of truth to that. She would die before she would reveal that name. Frustrated Vader began pacing again. She was powerful. Much more powerful than he had previously believed based on the thickness of that wall in her mind. The drugs in the droid would undoubtedly help him, but this was something she would hold onto with everything in her. He could break that shield, of course he could. No matter how strong she felt, he was stronger in the Force, he always had been. But to do that would create a backlash that would shatter her mind. She would be almost as useless as if she was a corpse, and infinitely more dangerous.

He moved the short distance between the walls, trying to figure out a strategy for how to deal with this. He had never been clever with words. Not like his Master.

_Not like your wife._

He shoved that thought away. He had known, walking into this cell, she would haunt him today. He could only move forward. Brute force tended to work well for him, but that was not an option here. So think of what you do know about this however old she was Princess. Bring the weapons you do have.

His very presence unnerved her, in a way it had never done before. She had always been wary of him, she wasn’t a fool. But the Princess he knew could swallow it, on her face, if not in the Force. But this one couldn’t.

He thought back to that absolute panic that she had shown when he entered into this cell. Briefly, he wondered what his alternate must have done to make her so afraid. Her control was impressive, she had hidden it away. But it was as if she hadn’t expected to see him again.

He stopped moving and looked at her. She was breathing, in a forced calm way, as if his very presence was enough to fill her with overwhelming dread. No, she was not used to seeing him or more importantly thinking she would. That left him with few options as to why.

He went with the one that was most obvious. “I am clearly dead in this future of yours.”

She looked at him and unclenched her fists at her side. “Yes.”

There was the hint of triumph in her voice, but he didn’t think she had been the one to do it. Vader wasn’t surprised by the rush of relief that flooded through him. There was a way out. He had somehow found a way free from his duty and his Master.

“How?”

Her head cocked, and a million thoughts passed behind those expressive eyes. “Palpatine killed you.”

“I see.” The real question was why? He doubted she had any answers for him. He began to pace again. Had his alternate thought he finally found a way to overthrow his Master for once and all? Or had his Master found another to replace him? Like he had done with Dooku so long ago?

Her shock was a living thing “You don’t seem surprised?”

He stopped and looked back at her. She looked aghast that she had even asked, but he was too preoccupied with his thoughts to guard his tongue. He shrugged “It is the Sith way. There is a Master, and an Apprentice. To achieve mastery the Apprentice kills the Master. Failure to do so leads to the death of the Apprentice.”

There was nothing but horror on her face. “That is a horrible way to live.”

“You wouldn’t understand the ways of the Dark Side.” he intoned gravely “its true power is only for the strong.” Especially not for the Jedi and their sterile ways. Living apart from the galaxy and doing nothing to fix it.

Her eyes narrowed “I was told that only the weak fell.”

Of course, her tutor had told her that. He waved his hand dismissively “A lie the Jedi tell themselves. It is only the strong who survive the Sith way.” She had nothing to say to that, but there was a flutter of pain and realization around her.  She swayed on her feet. It wasn’t much, but it was there. He wasn’t sure he was reading her correctly. It had been a long time since he had to pay attention to anyone’s subtle emotions in the Force beside his Master. If he was reading her correctly, then what had he said that so startled her?

That was irrelevant. This whole conversation was irrelevant. Vader felt his impatience rising. He needed the Rebel Base and he needed the name of her tutor. Again he began to pace, trying to marshal his thoughts. She was better at word games than him, that had never been his strong point. Manipulation was something he was no good at, and that was the only way he could see forward to get both the things he needed to know.

He could force his way into her mind. She couldn't keep everything from him. He could see bits and pieces of this future of hers. But her very actions in this cell had rendered all that intelligence useless, she had changed what had happened. The princess was another of long lists of annoyances in this whole project, no matter if she was from now or the future.

He almost missed her question, so wrapped up in his thoughts. “Why did you fall?”

Vader stopped and stared at her, wondering if he hallucinated what she asked. “What?”

Her shoulders tighten up, but she said “Why did you fall? What were you thinking?”

This was getting stranger and stranger. Why did she care? “You cannot possibly be interested in joining me.” Although the thought of her as his student had some appeal. She would be a valuable asset.

“You had another name, another life.” she clarified “Why walk away from that?”

_“Come away with me. Help me raise our child. Leave everything else behind while we still can.”_

Vader’s heart skipped, despite the numerous equipment in place to prevent such a thing. He found himself by the door to the cell, wondering when he had moved away from her. “You know who I was?”

She frowned at him, confusion radiating off her. “Yes?” she sounded uncertain. He could feel a name though, a name hovering just under those impressive shields. The Dark Side whispered in his ear.

 _Skywalker._  

This….no. There was no way she could know this. It was done and buried. Along with his heart in a grave in Naboo.

She looked at him, askance, then in a gentle voice said, “I am not going to tell anyone.” Vader said nothing in response. With a wry shrug, she added “Who would believe me?”

He felt himself relax, not much, but enough to harness his whirling thoughts. She was correct, who would believe her? Furious at this show of weakness to her he began to pace again. “I ask you again, who is your tutor?”

He felt her incredulous disbelief, but most unlike her, she let the previous subject go. She sighed “No one you have met yet.”

That in no way narrowed it down. There was a vast galaxy of people he hadn’t met yet. “But I will meet them.”

“If I had my way, no. Their first encounter with you did not go well.” She hissed, anger clear on her face.

First encounter? Vader was frankly surprised there was even need for a second. Who was this tutor that she spoke of? Was he the one his Master selected to replace him? “If I did not kill them on the first meeting then it went very well for them.” he informed her “There has only been one Jedi that has escaped me.”

Thoughts of his Jedi apprentice danced in his mind. The defiance in her voice, as she called out she wouldn't leave him. It was too late for that statement. Too late for the both of them. He shoved that away, away along with memories of fire licking along his skin and a voice screaming he loved him. That was all long gone.

Pulling his mind from those long ago days he pressed on “Did the second encounter go better for them?”

Her face contorted in grief and sorrow “No.”

She didn’t act like her tutor had died. So what was the cause of this pain? “Because they will fail in trying to kill me?”

There was a slash of amusement from her. She snorted. “Who says they tried?”  Clearly, in this future of hers, the Princess had spent too much time with scoundrels and seditionists. She had picked up some truly ungraceful vocal habits.

"You were not lying before. The Emperor will kill me.” Finally, at long last, he would be released from his duty. But that was not today, so he continued on. “So clearly this ‘wise loved one’ failed.”

She actually laughed at that. It was a small one, but it was there. “Oh, no.” she contradicted “Succeed in exactly what they were aiming for. Big goals, big heart, and a clear vision will get someone far in this life.”

“You love them. Dearly.” The princess struck him as too intelligent to subject herself to such a relationship. She would do better than to give her heart and loyalty to a Jedi. Attachments and true affection were beyond them.  

_“You were my brother Anakin! I loved you!”_

Irritated, he focused back in on the princess. She gave him a pitying smile. “My other half. And again I state, you will not learn their identity from me, no matter how many questions you ask around the edges.”

She gave him too much credit, that had not been his intent. But perhaps there was another she would say the name of. “Who taught them then? Or does this fanatic loyalty extend to everyone?”

Her face adopted a haughty air. There, there, was her royal upbringing. “I find that life is often the best teacher,” she informed him primly.

He hissed. “Don't play word games with me.” He thought of the list of Jedi there was no confirmed kill for. Then he had the treacherous thought of the one his Master said he killed in the Senate dome. If there was one thing Vader understood now it was how his Master lied.

Yoda. Yoda could have been the master of her tutor. Was it possible? He rolled that thought around for a moment, then dismissed it. No, if the troll was alive he would have surfaced by now. “Was it Jarrus?”

Her face went blank “No, it was many people.“

“The Jedi are all but extinct. There are not many of them left that aren’t accounted for.” There was one though, who was a Jedi in all but name. One, who despite the lies he had told his master, had not died by his hand. There was a possibility, however remote, she was free in the galaxy. “Ahsoka Tano?”

There was a wave of surprise. “No,” she said. Her father hadn’t told her Ahsoka had been a Jedi. Why? The princess clearly recognized the name, why leave that out?

There was a name on the most wanted list, a person no one had seen or heard from in all this time. Someone he had been looking for. Out of desperation, hate, fear, triumph, even he couldn't tell anymore. Vader grasped at the edges of his control. “Was it Obi-Wan Kenobi?” he said, as calmly as he could.

There was a flare of defiance in those wide expressive eyes, but she spat out. “Yes.”  she conceded.

There was a twisting mocking edge to the Dark Side as he reached for it to keep his focus. It was the answer he had been bracing for, but to hear confirmation brought his mind to a halt. “He lives?”

She bared her teeth and sneered “Do you feel that I am lying?”

“No.” She wasn’t. He turned, eager to be away from this woman, and the problems she presented. Let Tarkin send some other to do his bidding. Obi-Wan was alive. Obi-Wan could end this all now.

He had reached the door, before he realized, in his haste to get started he had no idea where the Jedi was. Turning to face her again he asked “Do you know where Kenobi is now?”

“No.” There was a wobbliness to that answer. She wasn’t lying, not directly, but there was something there she wasn't saying.

Perhaps if he knew where Kenobi had been. “Do you know where he has been hiding the last twenty years?”

She hesitated, then in a nonchalant voice said “Some Outer Rim world.”

His eyes narrowed. Giving the old man some cover? “Like the one we caught your ship circling?”

Her teeth clicked together. “Yes.”

He had been so close. If only he hadn’t run from his weakness and the pain the thought of that planet brought. If only he had been a true Sith and embraced those emotions he could have found Kenobi on his own. Then the magnitude of what she said sank in. “Obi-Wan Kenobi spent the last twenty years on Tatooine?” She didn’t answer him, just stared at him mutinously. “If I had designed a prison to hold him it couldn’t have been worse than that.”

Her head cocked “What did he do to you?” she asked.

Yes, the myth, and lie of the manganous Obi-Wan Kenobi. What would she think if she knew the truth? “He is the reason I am in this suit.”  

Something like satisfaction crossed her face “His mistake then. He should have let you burn, then killed you.”

Vader felt amusement roll through him. She was correct, Obi-Wan should have. But the hate and personal vitriol in that statement caught his attention.

“Such hatred Your Highness. I wonder why?” Her jaw worked furiously, but she said nothing.  “The force is strong in your family.” Now how would she know that? She was an only child, adopted by the Royal House of Alderaan, shortly at the end of the Clone War. “Your parents? One of them was a Jedi?”

She took in a deep breath and released it through her nose. “My father.” The swirl of anger and hatred pounding away at him was truly impressive.

Several of the mysteries surrounding her clicked into place. Bail and Breha had been desperate for a child, he knew that. Bail had been sympathetic to the Jedi and was friends with several of them. If one of the stragglers in the days following Order 66 had brought him a Force-sensitive infant, desperate for protection, Bail wouldn’t have hesitated to shelter the child. Not the Jedi himself, there was too much risk, especially at the beginning of the Empire. But Bail wouldn’t have thought twice about calling such a child his own.

“Ahh, that would explain why Bail knew to forge your test results.”  

She shrugged, bored. She didn’t know anything about the circumstances surrounding that. He wondered of all the Jedi who died after the purges which one was her father. Their names and faces had been left to the back of his mind to be forgotten.

"And did I kill this man, Princess?” She looked at him startled. Clearly, that wasn’t an idea that had occurred to her. “Is that the source of this rage towards me? Your long lost Jedi father?” For a brief second, he wondered about the Jedi Knights Bail had known personally. If this could possibly be Obi-Wan’s child sitting before him, brought to Organa after Mustafar.

Pain danced in her eyes. “You torture me, twice.  Ripped apart my family, hunted down almost everyone I love, and left a poisonous legacy in your wake.  Isn’t that enough?”

He huffed, she might be a trained Force user but she clearly had no idea what she was projecting at him. Or perhaps she didn't have much experience with other Force users. They could have told her how easy her emotions were to read. “Not for this, no. This is deeply personal for you, this hatred.  I can sense it all around you.”

She hissed “Yes, in a way I suppose you did destroy him.” She wasn’t lying. It had been a far-fetched idea anyway. His old master would never have allowed himself to stray that far from his precious code.

Vader thought back to those frantic years. He couldn't recall anyone being expelled from the Order for being married during the Clone Wars. Of course, one could father a child and not be married, that didn’t violate their precious Code. He knew, from personal experience, that it was much easier to hide an unexpected pregnancy when you weren't the one carrying the child.  "I can tell you I probably took no pleasure in the act.”

“And can I tell you what a great comfort that is to me.”  The withering sarcasm in that voice would have felled weaker men. He could appreciate how she gained such a reputation in the Senate in such a short time.

From her point of view, he could see why she believed that. “It was a necessary evil,” he found himself explaining “the Jedi had lost their way. You would have found your father a poor substitute to Organa.”

Her head fell back as she laughed bitterly “On the whole, you're probably right about his fitness as a parent.” How odd, clearly there was no love here for that dead parent. Then her face hardened “That doesn't mean you were justified in what you did. My family isn’t the only one who was ripped asunder by you. The whole galaxy has paid for your decisions and I want to know why!”

Her entitlement swept away any small lingering feelings of responsibility in making her an orphan. “I owe you nothing. But why does this concern you so much?” The past was done, there was no way to change it. Unlike her, who had been given that gift. He was the Chosen One, wasn’t he? Everyone around him seemed to think so. Why then had he not been chosen for this? He certainly could have done more with it then die in a cell.

“My son fell.” The words came out of her and then her face slackened as she realized what she had said. Her son? Was she old enough to have a grown child? That was rather surprising.

Then he understood what she had revealed. “Then he is lost,” he told her.

“No, he is not.” There was such belief in that brief statement.

Her teacher had done her no favors in not explaining this. “It is not possible to return.”

Her jaw firmed up. “It is.”

While he admired her tenacity, this was not something he could let go. “Your Highness, this is not a case where you can apply your will and make it happen.  It is not possible.” She bit her lip, clearly wanting to contradict him, but perhaps it had sunk in that this was a subject he was far more familiar with than her.

“Are you afraid of the powers he has embraced?” Like Obi-Wan had been. Like Padme.

The look of disbelief she gave him was almost comical. “No,” she said, talking to him as if he wasn’t particularly bright “He is my son. I want him to be happy.  To fall in love. To laugh. To have joy. None of these things are what the Dark Side offers.”

This was not the argument he was expecting to hear. Even though all the pain he felt emanating from her, it was wrapped around a well of love. She meant every word. “Then he is fortunate indeed for such a mother.”

The praise seemed to leave her off balanced, and a suspicious look crossed over her face.

“How did he fall?” he wondered.

Her shoulders rolled in irritation “Why do think I keep asking you?” Yes, she would consider him the last person she would wish to ask.

He was in no position to help her. He would not have abandoned his mother if he had been given a choice. “I have no answers for you. I fell when the Jedi betrayed the Republic.“

“You betrayed the Republic.“ There was such contempt in those words.

He felt his temper flare and tried to bring it back under control. As if she would understand anything about the state of the Republic. She had been fed a fairy tale of it’s shining light and justice when it had been rotting to the core long before he was ever born. “You speak of things you do not understand.”

Irritation crossed her face. “Because you won’t answer my questions. I don’t ask for my own amusement.” she lectured him.

“You should ask your son.” This conversation was veering incredible close to areas he did not think of any more.

She gave him a look of dry disbelief. “I would, but he doesn't exist yet so that would be difficult.”

She was far too clever to think that was what he meant. “Don’t be obtuse. You should have asked him then.”

“I tried,” she hissed, and for the first time since he entered this cell she looked as if she was close to crying “but all he said was he was embracing his destiny and he ran away.”

“Ran to where?”

She opened her mouth to answer him, then it clicked shut. So, she was about to reveal that his master was still alive. Foolish woman, did she think that her rebellion had a real chance? She had evaded the Empire for years in this future of hers, but the galaxy was a vast place. She was clever and resourceful, it wasn’t an impossibility.

“Ah, he found the Emperor didn't he?”

A look of contempt crossed her face. “A lecherous old man poured poison into his brain, yes.”

“He has embraced the truth. You should too.” For a second he imagined that he had grabbed her the first time he saw her in the Senate dome. Four years under his tutelage. She would be magnificent on the dark side, with that wit and cunning.

His imaginings were interrupted by her loud sneer ‘“Yes, how noble, a government of thugs and tyrants. We should all aspire to such lofty heights.”

She was trapped in the details of the smaller things. Like he had been so long ago. “The Empire brings order. It brings peace.”

She sent him a look of disbelief. “According to the Sith, peace is a lie. That it's about power.”

He had underestimated what weapons her tutor had given her to wield against him. “There is no order without power,” he said, ignoring her point about Sith ideology. She hadn’t been taught the true complexities of it yet. “Without power, there is only chaos.”

“And the people who won’t and can't fall in line?  Are they simply the collateral damage to your quest for order?”

Given the harsh realities of what happened the last time, when whole systems had decided not to fall in line? “If they will not obey then yes, they brought it upon themselves.”

“How convenient for you.” she said, “Anything that opposes you is the enemy of peace, instead of simply wanting to live their lives and be left alone.” A look of indignation entered her eyes “ And who are you to decide what is best for the entire galaxy?”

She thought he wanted to make those decisions? “Not me. Someone wise.”

Her shock hit him like a slap in the face “Palpatine! Palpatine! You thought he would be a good choice for a dictator? Someone who cares for nothing but himself? You looked around a galaxy of sentient creatures and thought he was what was best for the galaxy?” No, he had not. There had been another. Another who he had trusted until he hadn’t and made the worst mistake of his life.

Caught unawares, _again,_ by the memory of that day, he found himself saying. “He was all I was left with.”

Surprisingly she didn’t press him on that point. She seemed to feel she was entitled to so much else from him. Why not that? She shook her head “I am not interested in a philosophical debate about tyranny versus democracy. I want to know why you fell.”

“You do have an extreme interest in events that happened long ago. Why do you care?”

“Do you see a plethora of fallen people around? Is there an abundance of Force users in this galaxy that I missed somehow? As much as it galls me, you are the only one I can ask. I need to understand what happened to my son.” She was pleading with him now almost, frantic and worried. But there was just the hint of something else there.

His hands fell to his belt as he considered this. “That isn't the whole truth.”

“You don’t have children,” Vader flinched at that truth. Would it surprise her to learn that he almost did? Until everything he touched started turning to ash “So maybe you can’t understand why I want him back. If I understand why you walked away from everything you had, maybe I can understand why he did too. Why he hurt me so badly?“

Interesting. She said the boy had run to Vader’s Master. What had he done to her after that to cause her this much misery? “You said you didn't talk to him after he fell. What did he do afterward to cause you such pain?”

She stared at him, at a loss for words. Vader hadn’t expected such an extreme reaction to his simple question. Then those impressive shields began to wobble. He caught the barest hint of the grief and pain underneath them. Realizing what was happening he tightened his own shields and braced himself.  That whirling storm of emotion came bubbling out, as her control shattered.

“He killed his father!!” she screamed at him, her anger beating at his mind, even though his own shields. “He killed him and half a galaxy away I felt my heart being ripped out and couldn’t breathe from the pain.”

Vader could understand this. It certainly explains why his questions had set her off. She went on, lost in her own torrent of words “And I want to know why he turned his back on everyone who loved him. Betrayed everyone who loved him for the false promises of a deranged old man who did nothing but lie to him!”

Like he had. He heard those words, even if she didn’t say them. They hung there, unsaid, and mocking him. His own anger and pain came to him, clearer than it had been in years. This insolent rebel dared to bring up this subject to his face? She had no understanding of the lies and betrayals he had endured throughout his entire life by those claiming it was for his own good.

He prowled up to her and leaned down, so close he was almost touching her face with his mask. “Your hatred of me pours through those of those oh so careful Jedi shields my lady. To you, I am the clearly the unredeemable monster and he is only ‘lost’. Yet what have I done that he has not? You ask and ask why I fell, but I tell you this your highness, the answer will not save your son. Not now and certainly not then.”  

He leaned down, to gaze into those brown eyes. They were wide with her fear. Good, she should fear him and the truth he was about to bring. Anything to make her hurt as much as she wounded him. “He is dead. What is walking in his place is not anyone you would give an ounce of compassion to under any other circumstances. Are you willing to extend the ‘mercy’ of your forgiveness simply because he is your blood? How hypocritical.”

Her face registered shock and pain. Then both fell away and a nasty smile spilt her face “Jealous there was no one to forgive you for killing your wife?”

Vader felt like he couldn't breathe for a moment, no matter the respirator that forced him too. How dare she? Without thinking he brought all that pain and rage onto her. He would squeeze those words out of her.

She elevated slightly and all that smugness vanished in a second, as she brought up her hands to clench at her neck. Then her face was replaced by another, and for a moment he swore he could feel the heat of the fires of Mustafar licking his skin.

Vader bit his lip, hard, and the sudden flare of pain brought him back to the here and now, in this sterile dark cell. That beloved face melted away until he only saw the woman responsible for his current pain.

Her hands fell to her side, as she realized the futility of the gesture. Instead she balled the right one up into a fist at her side. Vader smirked, and brought his own concentration up. He knew she would not escape him. She must pay for her insolent words, he would squeeze the life out of her one painful second at a time.

There was no build up, no trickle of warning from the Force, nothing to prepare him for the absolute wave of power that slammed into him. One second he had a firm hold on the princess, the next the Force came up like a maelstrom and shoved him across the cell.

Vader hit the wall with a thump. Immediately alarms started going off in his helmet. He wheezed for a second, then a warning flashed across his visor that his primary respirator had been fatally compromised. Numbly he watched as the automatic systems immediately went to the secondary system. Then another warning flashed that that system was also damaged and only working at seventy percent capacity. She had nearly killed him with that punch. Where had that strength come from? Vader had never felt anything like it before in his life.

As the alarms and warnings continued their endless parade in his ears, he looked over to her. She was her knees, trembling. She took a deep breath in and then looked up, straight at him, and asked in a hoarse voice.  “Why did you fall?”

He simply stared at her, dumbfounded. Her tutor clearly had no idea of her potential. He couldn’t remember the last time anyone had been able to break his hold with the Force. Perhaps when he was younger and unsure of his techniques, but that had been _decades_ ago.

He hadn’t been applying his whole strength into that grip, simply because he wanted to prolong her suffering. But he had been applying more than enough to wave off any attempt she might try to free herself. He certainly had enough practice at killing Jedi, and failed Inquisitors, in just this manner to be sure he knew what he was doing. Who was this woman?  

She began to slowly rise to her feet, "Why?”

He should get up, he should take back control, he should do a million other things but stare at this unexpected riddle the Force had put in front of him. He shook his head, trying to focus.

“Why?” she wailed. There was so much pain, loss, and grief in that simple word. As if it was weighed down with the fate of the galaxy itself. With his own shields shattered by her actions he found himself swept along with her emotions, his own finding harmony with hers.

“FOR HER!!” he screamed, his pain and grief echoing hers **.** And once that was said, there was no stopping the rest of the words that followed. Bottled up from years and years of never speaking of this. But everyday Vader walked through the world with the ghost of it haunting him.

“All I saw everywhere was her death. No matter what choice I made!! The Jedi only told me to accept the loss and let go. But Palpatine, he promised he could save her!! I lost my mother, I wouldn’t lose her!” The emotions whirling around were too much, and Vader felt as if he had collapsed upon himself.  

In an almost whisper he continued “And it was for nothing. I failed. All I had left was me, Palpatine, and a galaxy in chaos. The Jedi made me a weapon, so a weapon in full I became. I would bring order to the galaxy.  And I let nothing stand in my way.”

She swayed on her feet, horror written across her features. “You went back to what you knew.”

His eyes closed. “Yes.“ he agreed. What else had been left? He would not let everything he sacrificed be in vain. He might have nothing left for himself, but he would bring peace to the galaxy.

Then a wave of rage permeated the Force. His eyes opened in surprise. “You bargained for her but not the child?” she snarled.

Vader turned his head to look at her. “The child?” he said slowly. He felt hollow, empty and cleaned out, but there was a part of him that was shouting to pay attention. This was important.  

She bared her teeth at him “Yes the child.” she said again, like a vengeful angel.

He blinked slowly. “No, I did not, because Palpatine did not know.” His Master had already known enough. He had been so worried about Padme that their child had been his secondary concern. Then Palpatine revealed what he really was.

“I didn’t tell anyone and neither did my wife.” It would have meant expulsion from the Order, and her career would have been left in tatters. This had been all so long ago. That voice was screaming now, telling him to think, to _remember._

He struggled with that. He had spent so long trying to forget those fears and worries. It was a lifetime ago, ten lifetimes ago. He had cared then.  He had people he had cared about. But he hadn’t told anyone about the child. Padme had been interred pregnant, but no one had known he was the father. How did this Alderaan Princess from the future know?

In a remote voice, that felt like it was coming from far away from him, he mused. “I am left to wonder how you know about my child. Or that I had a wife. It was forbidden among the Jedi, and neither of us told anyone.” He looked at her, absently wondering where this would go next.

“My father told me,” she said rushed. “He said she died with a child.”

_His own voice snarling, and so distorted he didn’t recognize it. “Liar!!”_

_Padme’s look of horror and denial as she realized who else was on her ship  “No!!!” she protested._

Why, of all days, was _that one_ echoing in this small room?

He stood as quickly as he could, anger coming to him at both the memories and her. “That is a lie.” Why would anyone tell her about him? She was wholly unconnected to him, so why bother? The internal alarms were wailing at full volume now, and with an irritated flick of the Force, he silenced them.

There had been someone else there that day. Someone who could have told her. He advanced towards her “Was it Obi-Wan?”

She didn't even hesitate “Yes.”

He stopped. “That is also a lie.” Why? Why would she lie about this? What was she trying to protect?

He crossed the room to her, and she shrank into herself. Grabbing her head with his hands he forced her to look at him. “You contain a font of information about me that almost no one knows. Even after my death, I can think of no reason you would go searching for this, or why.” Her contempt and hatred of him were quite clear. “And when I ask for your source, this half honesty you have been dealing in dries up and you spit out lie after lie.”

“I didn’t go searching,” she protested “After your death, I wanted nothing to do with you or anything about you.”

“That is the truth.” Finally. He increased the pressure of his hands. “Someone felt you did need to know.  Who was this person and why did they tell you?” Who was running around aware of his greatest mistake?

He could feel her mind skipping around possibilities, her face pale, even though the red distortion of his visor. Her mouth opened and closed several times as he saw her discard lie after lie.

Again Padme’s face flashed in front of his mind's eye. Padme’s face as he was choking her, trying to reason with him. Again this image. Why? The princess looked like his wife, she always had. He had avoided her for that very reason. But here in this cell, he should be able to differentiate between the two of them.

Here and now she had shown she had a fire and restlessness Padme had never had. She had revealed an instinct to go for the throat, backed by a volatile temper, for all that she had impressive control of it. Padme had been loyal and passionate, but she had been calm and steady in her pursuit of what she wanted. He had found such peace in swimming in that cool emotion she gave him so freely. Her Highness was nothing like that. If she was like anyone, she was more like….him.

Vader felt his hands slacken as that odd thought struck him. He moved her face, gently from side to side, really looking at her. Those wide brown eyes widened and he observed distantly that they weren’t the same shape as Padme’s. But they did resemble his mother’s. His mother’s eyes in Padme’s face.

No this was not possible. The child was dead. The child was gone! He had killed her as sure as he had killed his wife.

_No._

He had killed her father. She had said so and she hadn’t been lying. But Bail hadn’t told her any flattering tales of this dead parent. Most unusual for him not to praise a Jedi. She had also agreed with him that she would have found this mysterious figure a less than adequate parent. She held this nameless Jedi in such contempt. For what? Dying on her? Being killed by him and leaving her with two parents that adored her? No. He replayed what she said. She hadn’t said that he had killed this parent. No, she said he had _destroyed_ him.

 _No._  

He let her face go and gently traced her neck, where he had just been strangling her. Where she had hit him with enough raw power in the Force to break his rather firm hold. He had never felt such a powerful Force user in his life. Even Yoda was not as bright as the woman standing before him.

The Force, for once, gave him a direct answer to the question he was so desperately trying to bury.

_Yes._

But that would mean…. _NO!_

Horrified he dropped his hands from her neck. He had strangled her, he had hurt her, he had threatened her. No, not again. He had not done this again!

He backed away from her, she only stared at him, no clever words on her lips. Just the look of someone who desperately wanted to run. It was one he was intimately familiar with.

She was...his mind skittered away from that word and focused on something else.

She knew. She had known who he was the minute he had stepped into this cell. And rather than say anything she had played this game with him. She knew what he was capable of and had deemed that the preferable option. He had almost...

Vader let out the mess of emotions he was feeling into the Force, desperate to purge this confusion and pain.

She flinched, and for a second he worried that he had hurt her somehow in the backlash he had created with his impulsive action. But then she stared around the room, her gaze leaving his.

Relief crawled up his spine. She was fine, startled but fine. He hadn’t gone too far. He could recover from this, he could explain. This was something he could fix.  

“ _Y_ _ou torture me, twice!”_ echoed in his mind. No, he hadn’t hurt her, but someone who was him had.

“Did he know?” the words were forced out of a throat that was begining to close up in panic.

Her gaze swung back to him “Did who know?” she asked, still trying to deny him.

“My alternate, did he know you were his daughter?”

The princess, no not princess, his _daughter,_  folded. She collapsed in on herself in the Force and sat hard on the bench, drawing in all vulnerable parts of herself. She was expecting him to lash out at her. To strike her, or kill her. Vader wasn’t sure if he wanted to beg for forgiveness or find a way to slip between realities to kill his alternate for his blindness. There was no version of him who would kill this person before him. Not if he knew. But if he hadn’t known. If she had once been in this room before, nineteen and knew where the rebel base was. His thoughts again spiraled as he tried to corral them.

“I see.” He needed to leave this room. He needed to regain control. He needed...his daughter not to have crumpled right in front of him like that. That this was something he wanted when he first entered the room sickened him.

He stalked out of the room.

The guards were still at their posts, outside the door.

“She break already Lord Vader?” one of them asked.

Images of Leia cowering at his feet, that indomitable spirit crushed. As her mother had once fallen in front of him.

His companion laughed “These Rebels talk a good game, but they have nothing to back it up.”

Vader blinked, and then they were lying in the hallway, like limp dolls. No matter, they were not important.

He stalked into the control room. The three guards gave him a panicked look, the middle one rising from his chair.

“L-Lord Vader?” he stuttered.

“See that the princess doesn’t leave her cell,” he told them as he entered the elevator. The next few hours were lost in a blaze of red.

 

Vader came back to himself in his own quarters, almost everything around him smashed and pulverized. Except for his life pod, it seemed to have weathered the storm of his temper intact. Which was fortunate. The warning flashing across his visor informed him that the secondary respirator was now only working at forty percent.

He frowned, the rage was still there, the Dark Side chittering away, encouraging him to reach for more and more. Why had he been pulled out?

He swept out, reaching for the Force to find the danger. Only to encounter not a threat, but an absence. Leia. Leia’s presence was no longer on the Death Star. Panic engulfed him and frantically he reached out, as far as he could go. No, she wouldn't be dead, he couldn't have failed again. When at the edge of his reach he found that bright presence in the Force, he let out an internal sigh of relief. Not dead. But also not here.

“Tarkin,” he hissed. Tarkin was the only one on this station who could countermand his orders. The Moff had, for whatever reason, decided to remove Leia to somewhere else. First, he would go to her cell and kill those fools who disobeyed him. Then he would find out where his daughter had been taken to. He stalked out of his quarters, not even bothering to look at the mess he left behind. The alarm on his respirator flashed another warning. He ignored it, there were more pressing matters to see to.

 

Vader’s anger only grew when he reached the prison block, only to find the control room empty. Hissing through his teeth he stalked over to the display feed of Leia’s cell. She was sitting there, wan and pale. A looped feed. This might have worked too if it wasn’t for the fact that he _knew_ she had been removed from the base.

He looked down the hallway. It might be a waste of time, but he should check her cell. There might be impressions left in the Force of her state when she was dragged out of that room. His need to know her state of mind was more pressing than the few minutes it would cost him to check.

He sped down the hallway, his boots thumping as he ran. It had been years since he had felt the need to run, anywhere. He moved, slowly, and methodically towards his targets. Confident in his ability to handle whatever defense was erected in that time to stop him. Now though, he needed every spare second he could steal.

He flicked the door open, stepping in, and not finding it empty, as he expected, but with three dead bodies on the floor.

Baffled he stopped at the bottom step. And took a closer look. Two of the guards were laying on their backs, blaster wounds revealing the manner of their death. The third, and smallest, had been stripped of his uniform. He looked around the cell and spotted her white dress, casually splayed out across the bench.

Moving around the corpses, he went over and picked up the dress, rubbing the soft material between his gloved hands.

His instincts had been correct. Tarkin had been involved, but not to remove her. The empty control center and looped surveillance feed revealed that he sent these men to interrogate her. Why? To see why he stopped? To see what had sent him careening down the hallways of this Death Star in a killing mood?

He needed to inform Tarkin she had escaped. There was no hiding this. At the thought of the man, his hand tightened into a fist, and the fabric of the dress almost ripped. That damn fool had sent these three incompetent idiots here. And because they underestimated her, his child was gone. Again. Most likely to her secret hidden Rebel Base. The one that he still didn’t know the location of.

But as he focused on the dead guards Vader was surprised to feel the edges of pride at that sight. If he had any doubts about Leia being his child, she had just conclusively laid them to rest. Somehow she had managed to escape this station, without a single alarm being raised.

 

Tarkin came to the cell personally to inspect the site. He left the guards outside and closed the door. It was going to be one of those conversations. So be it.

“How could you let this happen?” he demanded.

“I let nothing happen,” he countered. “I was not here. You are the one who sent these men here.”

Tarkin hissed “To find out what set you roaming through the hallways of this station killing everyone you saw.”

Vader didn’t remember any of that, but it wasn’t a surprise.

“Did you find out the location of the base?” He asked.

“No. I did not.”

Tarkin sneered “Perhaps the Emperor would like to know how she escaped when you were away from this cell?”

“Perhaps the Emperor would like to know how poorly you train your soldiers if an unarmed nineteen-year-old can escape them?” he said back tonelessly.

Tarkin’s lips flattened, but he didn’t refute the charge. He merely looked around,  inspecting the carnage of the cell walls. Vader repressed the shudder. He had done this in a room she was in. He could have harmed her, so easily, and without thought. He needed to be more careful in regards to her. He was long out of practice of being gentle, with anyone.

“And what set this off?” Tarkin said, waving his right hand to encompass the damage “It’s not like you to lose control this badly. Or fail in your interrogation of a prisoner.”

Vader had already come up with the perfect answer to this question. One Leia had given him. “You were correct. There was someone on Tatooine she was trying to reach. She sent the plans to Obi-Wan Kenobi.’

Tarkin actually looked surprised. This was not the answer he was expecting. “Obi-Wan Kenobi?” he scoffed “He must be dead by now.”

“Nevertheless that is who she sent the plans to.” Vader waved his hand to the damaged walls “When I heard that name, I was...unprepared.” He swallowed, but he needed to give Tarkin something. For Leia, he would suffer the indignity of admitting a weakness to a rival. “I felt it best to leave before I killed her.”

“Such concern isn't that touching,” Tarkin remarked dryly.

“Corpses do not give you answers.”

“True.” He looked down, inspecting the body that had been stripped  “She couldn’t have gotten far.” Oh, but she had. So much further then Tarkin would believe. Not that he was going to tell the man that. It would lead to questions Vader didn’t want to answer.

“Conduct a station-wide search for her. If that fails to find her, then in a few hours I think we can provide sufficient motivation to make her come out of her hiding spot.”

Vader’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”

“Well Lord Vader, if we threaten her homeworld do you think that would persuade her to be reasonable?”

Vader felt the touch of fear dance along his spine. No, that wouldn’t and not only because she wasn’t here. Leia would never consciously betray the Alliance. But he only answered “Perhaps.”

“We shall see who is right in the next few hours.” Then Tarkin exited the room. Vader watched him go, grateful for the mask that hid his face from the man. He wanted nothing more then to reach out and kill him. But he couldn’t. Not directly. That would lead to attention from his Master, and that was the last thing he, or Leia, needed at this point.

Tarkin wanted to destroy Alderaan. Even if Leia did miraculously show-up, the man was going to do it anyway. Vader had worked too long with him not to be able to anticipate his next move. And if Alderaan was destroyed….it didn't bear thinking about how Leia would react.

He straightened. Standing here in this cell would get him nowhere. For the first time in decades, his path was clear before him. First, fix his respirator. Then he had schematics to study and work to do.


	2. Bail

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At the request of autistichansolo and asmoonlightthroughthepine, who both wanted Bail or Breha's reaction to learning Leia is a time traveler. I went with Bail. As always hope you enjoy!

Bail could feel his heart pounding and his hand began to shake as he read the message again, hoping it would change. Beside him, Breha stood stiff and unyielding. Having read it first, she was clearly trying to maintain her cool impassive facade for Captain Salano.

“This is all?” she asked.

The Captain shook his head “No, the Emperor wanted to me to express his personal  condolences and wants to assure you that these raiders will be brought to justice.”

Raiders, as if for one second Bail would believe such a fabrication. Palpatine's only real regret in the situation was probably that he couldn't deliver this message in person and revel in their pain. He met Breha’s pale face.

“Thank you, Captain,” she said, her voice steady. “You are dismissed.”

She waited until the door had slid shut on their receiving room before that calm facade crumpled. “Bail?” she whispered, looking to him for answers.

He shook his head, “I don’t know what happened, but I highly doubt the _Tantive IV_ was taken by raiders.” Especially given the mission he had sent Leia on.

“What do we do?” Breha asked, her hands wringing in a rare show of worry.

He walked over to her and grabbing those restless hands into his none too steady ones. He and his wife weren’t soldiers, they had always preferred to use words as their method of fighting. There weren’t enough words in all the languages he knew to slay this particular fear. The least he could do was try to find out the depth of what they were facing. “I’ll place a call to Mon. Maybe Draven knows what has happened.”

She swallowed hard and squeezed his hands in return. Then she withdrew them, and the Queen of Alderaan was standing there, thoughts masked. “You said we might have to fight.”

Bail nodded. “I did.”

She looked at him, then asked in a remote voice “Is destroying this weapon that they have built worth this cost?” That control wavered and for a moment his wife was looking at him, pleading with him to tell her they had all made the right decision. “Is it worth the life of our daughter?”

When he had returned from the summit meeting at Yavin he hadn’t gotten into the details of what kind of weapon they were dealing with. Not for the least amount of reason that the Death Star was still a classified project, and she had made clear long ago that one of them needed to have plausible deniability if the Empire came for them. Someone needed to be able to protect their people, and given his large role as the behind the scenes architect of the Rebellion, it couldn’t be him.

Once Leia had also become such an active member of the rebellion, Breha had withdrawn even further from knowing anything specific. After returning from Yavin, he had only chosen to inform her that Leia was transporting important schematics, and was making a stop on Tatooine. Breha knew well enough who was on that planet to know why Leia was there, and her sharp mind was quick to fill in the details of what he wasn’t saying. How desperate everything must be if he was calling for help from that quarter.

“It’s a planet killer, my Queen,” he said softly, choosing to respect that she wanted to talk to her consort, not her husband. “I ultimately don’t know if this will all be worth it, but I do know that I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t try.”

She paled and her eyes closed, as she realized the depth of the depravity of what the Empire had built. There was nothing but silence in the room for one heartbeat, then her eyes opened and she was Breha, his wife again.

“Make the call to Mon,” she said. “I will be in my chambers for the rest of the day.”

She turned to leave and Bail quickly caught her hands in his. He brought them up and laid a gentle kiss on the back of them. He looked up and met her eyes squarely, speaking as her husband, trying to give her hope, as opposed to the Prince Consort, who knew how desperate this all was. His voice was steady as he told her “We can only do what we have always done. Place our faith in our daughter and hope that she can see her way to us.”

 

For the rest of his life Bail would not be able to recall the details of that day. He knew he talked to Mon. He might not remember the particulars of the conversation, but he could distinctly recall her pale face as she recounted the losses taken at Scarif. That the _Tantive IV_ had sent one distress signal, then vanished. She informed him that Draven was working all his spies and informants and could come up with nothing. That the Alliance leadership was in a pure blind panic. Not only did the Empire now have a weapon capable of taking them out in one strike, but their resources and flight personnel had been cut in half. They had gambled almost everything for this one shot, and now what they sought was gone.  

As if the council were for it in the first place, Bail thought bleakly. Most of them had wanted to go home and roll over, hoping that the Empire would somehow choose another planet to exact its wrath.

Breha had said nothing when he relayed the news to her, just retreated into the role of Queen and politely dismissed him.

That night brought its own set of terrors. As he laid in the bed he had shared with his wife these long years, Bail knew he should be thinking about how to recover from this disaster. The Rebellion, which he had spent so much of his adult life painstakingly tending to, that had just now had found its footing, was teetering on the edge of annihilation. With the Death Star, there was nowhere to hide. The Alliance couldn't take such a weapon head on, and any planet they fled to would become collateral damage.

But every time he tried to apply his mind to the practicalities of the problems they faced, all he could think of was Leia. His beautiful, wonderful, stubborn, fiery Leia.

He slipped in and out of sleep, half walking up to think for one precious second that Leia being gone was all a horrible nightmare, only to remember that her safe was the dream. Somewhere in the middle of the night, he gave up the pretense and rolled to his side. Breha lay there, bathed in the lights from other parts of the palace, staring at him, her eyes wide and troubled.

“Did you sleep?” he asked in a hushed whisper.

“No,” she answered back. A stray bang fell into her eyes, and Bail, without thinking moved his fingers to brush it out of her face. He never ceased to wonder at the fact that he had the right to touch the hair of this brilliant brave woman who he had somehow convinced to love him. He was from one of the lesser noble houses of Alderaan, and while their marriage wasn’t scandalous per se, it had definitely raised quite a few eyebrows when Breha had chosen the son of such a low ranking house. She had been looking for a partner, she said, and a friend. But more importantly, someone who loved Alderaan as much as she did. He had declined to mention that he had been dazzled by her since they were small children and that she didn’t need a marriage to secure his devotion. It was just fortunate for him that somewhere along the way she returned that deep abiding love.

“I’m sorry if I kept you up,” he said. That wasn’t the true reason of why she couldn’t sleep, but he could offer her a dignified excuse if that's what she needed from him right now.

Her mouth twitched sadly, but she only shook her head in the negative. He opened his arms wide and without hesitation she slid up to him, fitting neatly under his chin as she had always done.

“Do you think she’s alive?” Breha whispered into the night.

“Yes.” In fact, he was almost sure of it. But whether that was the preferable option wasn’t said. The Empire wasn’t known for its mercy or subtle interrogation techniques.

They clung to each other, not saying anything, just trying to reassure the other.

As the sun slowly began its rise Bail finally spoke, “I failed her,” he whispered. “I let her rebellion die and allowed her daughter to walk into this fight.”

Breha tightened her hold around him. Padme was a subject they almost never discussed. Not even when Leia’s bright laugh echoed in the halls of the Royal Palace, and all Bail could see was his friend’s ghost. He had hoped that wherever Padme was she was proud of the woman her daughter is. And that she forgave him for his mistakes.

“Leia is our daughter,” Breha whispered back after a long pause “All four of us.” Bail blinked in surprise. As rare as Padme’s name was in these halls regarding Leia, Vader was a name he could never remember his wife mentioning in relation to their daughter. But she was right, Leia had certainly inherited his fierce will and obstinacy. “And given all that Bail, do you think she would have been anywhere else?”

No, there was nowhere else Leia would choose to be, but that thought brought little comfort

 

The breakfast that morning was a somber affair. Since Leia had been elected to the Imperial Senate it wasn’t all that unusual to see her place at their small table empty. But today it felt more personal to Bail, like an open wound. He was playing with the food on his plate, not really hungry, but aware that he needed to eat when there was a quick knock on their door.

Without waiting for a response, Corel, one of his wife’s aides burst in. Breha frowned, about to utter a rebuke, but the woman came up short as she took them in their less than formal attire.

“Your Majesties,” she exclaimed, as her pale face colored “forgive me, I wasn’t thinking.”

Breha demanded the utmost patience and discipline from her inner circle of attendants. Bail’s own face paled as he thought of what could have set this woman in here in a blind panic.

“Is there word on Leia?” he asked rushed.

“Her Highness?” Corel looked at him confused. “No Prince Consort, this isn’t about her.”

Before Bail could demand what this _was_ all about, she reached over and flicked on the personal holo in their room. He was greeted by the sight of Palpatine's visage, that signature black cowl over his head to hide the “deformity” left to him by the Jedi.

“This is playing on all the holo channels,” Corel whispered breathlessly.

The image flickered, and Palpatine started to speak. A recorded message then, played on a loop so no one in the galaxy could escape it.

There was a shadowed smile that crossed that wrinkled face, and that gentle sounding voice, his public persona one, not his real one, spoke out “Citizens of the galaxy, I have come before you to give you the most grievous of news. My Imperial agents have found a plot among most members of the Imperial Senate to have me assassinated and to place a chosen handful into power.”

Bail’s stomach rolled. There had been no such thing of course. There weren’t that many Senators who actually belonged to the Rebellion proper. He thought of all his colleagues that he had worked with, who genuinely were trying to do the right thing, working the system as best they could for their people. He offered up prayers to the gods that the honest ones had made it out of Coruscant, and hadn't been swept up in any raids.

Palpatine's smile was still that benevolent and kind one “Given the evidence presented to me, I signed executive order 718, early this morning, abolishing that legislative body. The last vestiges of that corrupt system known as the Republic have been swept away. Our Empire has entered into a new phase, one of order, justice, and swift resolution.”

Palpatine’s mask slipped then, just slightly, that smile tipping into a grin of unholy triumph. Then the message flickered and started playing again from the beginning. In disgust, Breha got up and turned it off.

It was almost anti-climatic to see this galaxy-wide pronouncement of the dissolution of the Senate. Bail sat numbly in his chair as the last gasp of the Republic was killed in front of him. True it had been a legislative body in name only, but it was the last thing that he held hope could avoid another war. Now even that was gone.

Breha came up to him, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. But her instincts for political maneuvering were as sharp as always. She murmured softly, “They’ll need to find a target for that weapon.” Corel didn’t react, the woman was still watching the holo, fascinated dread written on her face.

Bail nodded and whispered back just as softly  “This doesn’t work unless it is made abundantly clear what they are using to keep everyone in line.” And just what system would the Empire deem an acceptable loss? The Rebel base made a nice simple military target, but Bail knew it was too remote to efficiently serve as a warning. No, they would target a Mid-Rim, or Core World for this.

Breha gave a noise of disgust. She turned to Corel and said softly, “Thank you for bringing this to my attention.” Corel nodded, apprehension fading from her face, and Breha went on “There will be no business conducted today.”

The girl gulped nervously, “For what reason should we give the public?”

“Mourning,” Bail said flatly.

The aide's eyes widened, but she addressed Breha, not him. “My lady, are you sure that is wise?”

Breha didn’t employ people in her close circle who were Imperial sympathizers. Corel might not know what the Emperor was planning to use to keep rebellious systems in line, but she knew that there had to be something.

 _“And so the fear begins to eat away at conviction,”_ Bail thought sadly.

Breha’s lips twisted into a bitter smile “For our daughter,” she reassured the woman.

Comprehension swept the woman’s face and she hurried away. Bail pushed his plate away, appetite truly gone.

 

They were left alone in their private rooms. Neither of them even bothering to dress in their day clothes. There was no conversation, what was there to say? The quiet interlude of grief was interrupted mid-afternoon, when there was another knock on their door. Unlike Corel this person didn’t immediately barge in.

Bail sighed irritated. For once he would like the galaxy to leave him and his broken heart alone. “I thought we weren’t to be disturbed,” he complained to his wife, for once allowing his bitterness at their public lives intruding into their private to show openly.

Breha shook her head, “It must be important.” she said, “Enter!” she called out.

Jaken, one of the communications personnel entered, looking very nervous. “Uh, my apologies your Majesties, but I just received a comm from an unscheduled flight.” Bail frowned. Alderaan was a much-visited world, surely that in itself couldn’t be all that unusual? He went on “He gave the passcodes indicating that you are to be directly informed, but I don’t recognize the name attached to it.”

Jaken had been given this post five years ago due to his anti-Imperial attitudes, discretion, and a phenomenal memory for names. Bail said slowly “But they did give the correct passcodes?”

He nodded “Yes sir, they are bit old, but they aren’t ones the Empire has cracked.”

There were only two possibilities Bail could see here. This was either an operative that had been gone for a very long time or the Empire had set a trap for them. “What’s the name?”

“Ben Lars?”

That wasn’t a name he recognized. But Breha’s face went from blank to animated in less than a moment. She had always had a better memory for names then he did. “Tell them to land at the private landing field at the Royal Palace. Clear the way.”

“The private landing field Your Majesty?” Jaken looked confused.

“Now!” Breha said. Jaken almost ran out of the room at her strident tone.

“Breha?” Bail asked, wondering at this uncharacteristic loss of her usual calm tone.

“It’s our friend from the desert,” she said, rising to her feet and heading for their dressing closet.

Bail blinked. Obi-Wan. How was Obi-Wan here? The answer had him scrambling after his wife to dress. If Obi-Wan was here, it meant Leia must have reached him.

 

He and Breha walked, quickly, but with great dignity to the state room, followed by several of her aides. Even in situations like these, a lifetime's worth of lessons about proper royal decorum was hard to shake off. There was also no need to set off a panic, or worse, curiosity about this unexpected guest.

Before they entered the great state room, Breha’s aides peeled away from them. Bail was so used to it he didn’t pay much attention to where they had decided to place themselves. These women were smart, capable, and more importantly very well trained bodyguards. On the whole, Alderaan was a pacifistic society, but that didn't mean he or Breha were unaware of the threats posed against them. Learning a lesson from Padme he had made sure that every personal aide he and Breha had was trained in such things.

When they entered the room, Bail was greeted by the sight of three human males, a Wookie, C3-PO, and R2. And no Leia. Of course, there was no Leia, if he had been thinking he would have known she would have used her own passcode to get clearance to land here. Bail swallowed his worry and disappointment. At the very least Obi-Wan might have some answers about where his daughter was.

He and Breha were halfway across the hall to greet their guests when Bail finally got a good look at them and stopped in shock. Obi-Wan looked _old_ , far older than he should. Bail himself now had silver grey hairs peppering in his dark strands, but the Jedi’s bright red hair was gone, replaced by a pure white. He still had his beard, but there were lines carved deep into that once permanently youthful looking face. As Bail studied him, Obi-Wan came forward the rest of the way up to him and Breha. The general moved slowly, with none of his former grace, but as if he was hobbled by aching joints

“Bail,” he said, eyes crinkling up in joy as he took him in. They were still that vibrant blue-green they had always been.

“General,” Bail answered, unsure of Obi-Wan’s companions, and what they had been told. He swept a quick glance at them, the older man was a Corellian, if that blood stripe on his pants was anything to go by, and the Wookie was certainly a surprise. You didn't see them much in the galaxy anymore. But it was the youth that caught Bail's attention.

He was slight, and probably a few inches shorter than Bail himself, but his face was a strong copy of his father, even down to those bright blue eyes. They met his, curious, then fell away to the floor.

Obi-Wan, noticing his and Breha’s fascinated looks, swept his arm back and said “Bail, Breha, this is my companion, Luke Skywalker.”

 _Skywalker_? What had Obi-Wan been thinking, letting Luke keep that last name? Catching the look of regret on his old friend’s face Bail revised that question to what had Luke’s family been thinking? Bail looked at the Corellian again, this time with a much more critical eye. No, this was not the step-brother, he was far too young. Where was Luke’s family then?

“Luke,” Obi-Wan said, “This is Queen Breha Organa of Alderaan and her husband, Prince Consort Bail Organa.”

The Corellian huffed, probably at the fact that Breha’s name was given more precedence than Bail’s. Bail always found patriarchal based societies so odd about things like that. The man probably thought Bail should be the ruler simply because Breha was a woman. It was a mindset Bail had encountered on many worlds, but even now still didn’t quite grasp.

Breha didn’t even bat an eye at the lout’s manners. She stepped forward and gave Luke her best smile. The boy looked up from the floor to take them both in. “Ma’am.” he said, voice clearly nervous, “Sir.” Then he frowned “Or is it Your Majesties?”

“Does it matter?” the Corellian hissed.

Luke frowned at him “Manners are important.”

“No, honoring contracts is important.” the man shot back “And I’m not here out of the goodness of my heart.”

Obi-Wan only gave him a small smile “Don’t worry, you were promised seventeen thousand and you shall receive it.”

“Seventeen thousand!” Bail hissed. “For a transport from Tatooine?”

The man only looked disgruntled “Supply and demand,” he said “Look I’m not in this for your revolution. I was promised a substantial payment if I could evade the Imperial blockade, and trust me when I tell you that isn’t something every pilot is capable of.”

Bail’s heart leaped at that news. There was no reason for the Empire to have a blockade on Tatooine. Not when it was so clearly in the hands of the Hutt’s. The droids were here, perhaps Leia needed to be left behind for some reason? Bail looked at Obi-Wan, but the man’s face was placid as ever. Time to send this interloper on his way so he could question the Jedi more freely.

Bail’s eyes narrowed at the man “Rest assured Captain…?”

“Solo. Han Solo.”

“Captain Solo, we are seeing to the details now.”

“As long as we’re clear.” The man huffed.

Where had Obi-Wan dug this creature up? Bail supposed his options were limited on Tatooine, but couldn’t there have been anyone else? Probably not. As the Captain said finding a pilot who could and would try to run an Imperial blockade was in short supply everywhere in the galaxy. It was probably fortunate, in a roundabout way, that Obi-Wan was on that dustball of a planet.  Jabba wasn’t known for employing soft hearted noble people, but he did demand results, and clearly Captain Solo could deliver. It meant the man was a smuggler, and probably a mercenary, but beggars couldn’t be all that choosy.

“Corel,” Breha said in a firm clear voice.

It was only through long practice that Bail contained the surprised start as Corel’s voice came from a shadowed corner that Bail could have sworn was empty “My Lady?” she answered.

Bail hadn’t flinched, but Luke had. The youth’s eyes went wide and he turned to look as Corel emerged from the shadows. Bail shot Obi-Wan another questioning look, which as before, the Jedi ignored. Bail had never seen a Jedi who could be startled like that. Even the younger Padawans were almost preternaturally aware of what was going on around them or had the control to hide it when they were surprised. Luke didn’t have either.

“Can you see that the Captain receives his payment please” Breha asked.

“Of course,” Corel came over and gestured to one of the arches leading to the exit of the room “Captain if you will follow me?”

Sole gave her a distrustful look, and the Wookie behind him moved his bowcaster from his back to his front. But they both followed Cordel out of the room.

Breha waited until the group was out of earshot and that calm facade broke and she demanded of Obi-Wan “Where is Leia?”

Obi-Wan’s face fell into a mixture of sadness and grief. “I’m sorry Breha, she never made it to Tatooine.” He gestured behind him, “She sent these droids in her place with a message for me to come here.”

Bail’s voice left him for a moment, then he stuttered out “The Empire has her?”

Obi-Wan nodded “I’m afraid so.”

R2 gave a long wail of sorrow. Threepio placed his hand on the dome in comfort. The little astro droid beeped something out. C3-PO turned to Bail and said “R2 regrets to inform you that he failed in his primary mission to protect the Princess. He was ordered by her to leave the ship. She felt that the plans were too important, and that too much had been sacrificed to get them simply to have them fall back into the hands of the Empire.”

Of course she did. Leia was never one to shirk her duties. Bail felt the weight of all his years in that moment. The plans were safe, and they needed to see Obi-Wan to Yavin, immediately, to ensure they remained that way, but at what cost had this been achieved?

“I’m sorry,” Luke spoke up then. “I’m sorry this happened to her.”

Breha looked at him, “Thank you, Luke. That was quite kind of you to say.” There was a brief pause, then she asked briskly “Do you know Leia?”

“No, ma’am. I saw the message she left on R2 though.”

And how had that happened? Leia would have encrypted any such message she placed on the droid. Bail opened his mouth to ask further questions when Jenken came stumbling into the room.

They all turned to stare at him, and Bail was about to offer the man a rebuke when he blurted out “Princess Leia just requested permission to land at the Royal Palace landing field.”

 

Bail and Breha rushed to the private entrance to the landing field. There was the loading door of course, huge and it gracefully fit into the building for the loading of supplies, but this was the door the family used. It led to the corridors that fed directly into the private wing of the Palace. If this was Leia, this was the entrance she would enter through.

Bail palmed the door opened and saw a sight figure dressed in an Imperial uniform leap out of a Lambda-class shuttle. For a moment Bail stood frozen in the door frame, unsure. Maybe this was a trap of some kind? Perhaps an Imperial plant, who was here to confirm his involvement in the Rebellion? Maybe an assassination attempt on him and Breha to replace the leadership of Alderaan with someone far more friendly to the Empire. Then the hat came flying off and he could see her brown hair. It was Leia, at the age of five, ten, fifteen, running towards him for a hug. One moment he couldn't move, the next he was running forward and she was in his arms shaking.

He felt Breha come up from Leia’s other side, her slim arms bumping into his chest as she wrapped their daughter into a hug. Bail just stood there, reveling in the fact that his family was all here and safe. Despite all the other losses of today, he still had this.

Leia pulled back first, her eyes widening as she took him in, face pale. Bail looked her over, he didn’t think she was injured too badly, there was no way she could have run to him like that if she had been. But there was a nasty ring of bruises around her neck.

His voice came out shaking, the adrenaline causing him to lose control of it. “Leia, what happened? The last official word we heard was your ship had been raided and all aboard were killed. Then General Kenobi arrived, not twenty minutes ago and told us that you had been taken by the Empire. How did you escape?”

Her face paled even further, eyes going distant for a second. Then she firmly shook her head “That doesn’t matter. We need to leave.” She turned from them, heading to the door they had just exited.

Didn’t matter? Her escape didn’t matter? The Imperial forces who were no doubt following her, didn’t matter? He looked over to Breha, shocked to his core over his daughter’s careless attitude. His wife’s face was ashen, and he could see every line of exhaustion on her face. He raised an eyebrow in inquiry at her, and she sent him a grim look. The welfare of their people was both of their responsibilities, but the Rebellion was almost solely his. He nodded, he was to play the interrogator here, and her the sympathetic ear. Leia would need both.

“Leia,” Bail said firmly, aware he needed more answers then the short statement she had given them, but cognizant of the shock she was still probably in, reached out and caught her arm. “I understand you’ve probably had a very trying experience. But I need to know what happened.” No matter his daughter's mental state. It killed him that he couldn’t set aside these responsibilities and simply tend to his daughter, but he needed to know how much danger both the Rebellion and their people were in “Did you reveal anything to the Empire?”

Leia gave him a dismissive look, and in an almost bored voice she recited “Vader caught me, took me to the Death Star, and I escaped.” She pulled on his arm, not enough to break his grip, but enough to indicate she wanted him to let her go. That calm facade cracked just a bit, and a slight tremor entered her voice. “All you need to know is we need to leave, and we need to leave now.”

She wasn’t thinking, she was being motivated by her fear and ignorance. There was no telling what Vader had done to her. Unfortunately they didn’t have time to coddle her. “No Leia. You need to leave. Preferably with General Kenobi as an escort. Your mother and I need to stay here and mitigate the damage to our people.”

At the thought of the danger she had placed them all in by coming here, he felt disappointment color his tone. “I appreciate, as your father, that when you ran you first thought to come here.” And he did. Oh, how he did. He would never be as grateful again in his life that she had come directly to them. That they had not had to live one moment longer in suspense. But he wasn't just a father, he was also Prince Consort and leader of the Rebellion. “But I had thought you knew better, you should have jumped to a more neutral location and then headed to Yavin. You have placed us all in danger.”

Leia looked at him like he had just announced he was the Emperor now. Then a steely look entered her eyes chased by frustration. “You don’t understand.” Her mouth tightened as she repeated yet again “All of us need to leave this planet.”

Breha shot him a startled look. Leia had never contradicted his orders so openly before. She had _disobeyed_ him and Breha all the time growing up, her teenage years were a special sort of fun on that front. But when it came to the Rebellion she had never once openly questioned him like this.

She continued on, in a rushed tone, seemingly oblivious to the astonished looks they were giving her. “You need to give the order for all the servants to scatter and burn everything. This is not a guess on my part, Vader is coming. And he’s coming for both you and Mama.” There was such _conviction_ in that statement.

Breha finally spoke up then, seeking to soothe their daughter’s nerves and break through her very obvious terror.  “You can’t know that Leia.”

“I can and I do. I don’t have time to explain. Just please trust me.” Bail did trust her, that was the crux of the matter. But he also couldn’t leave their people defenseless when the Empire came. Leia was possibly thinking that Alderaan’s status would protect it from the worst of the repercussions of this. After the events of this morning, Bail was less sure.

“You're letting your fear of him rule over your sense,” he told her, trying to bring this into a logical frame of mind. Not that there was anything wrong with being terrified of Vader. For more reasons then she knew. “Why would Vader come here looking for me? Especially since it sounds if he didn’t have time to interrogate you?”

Leia looked at him, betrayal sharp in her eyes, Bail winced internally at that, but let nothing show on his face. This was for the good of all of them, she needed to snap out of this and _think._

“Vader knows Papa.”

He found himself frowning “Knows what?” The location of the Rebel Base? No that couldn’t be right, she would have gone there to order an evacuation. His involvement in the Alliance? Again that was something that had been suspected about him for years. What could Vader possibly know that would frighten her this badly?

Her next sentence showed him just how much worse everything could get. “He knows that I’m his biological daughter,” she said flatly.

Bail felt the blood roaring in his ears. “What?” he strangled out. Breha’s mouth fell open as she let out an audible gasp.

Impatience filled Leia’s face and she pointed at him, anger causing the words almost to be spit at him “I came here for you. I couldn’t trust this intel over the comms.” Bail found a small corner of his mind applauding that decision. It was entirely correct. Perhaps she was thinking more clearly then he was right this moment.

“I came here to tell you to flee. Once he realizes I am no longer on the Death Star, you are his best option for information.”

There was no denying the logic of anything she had said. But how? How had Vader figured it out? For so long he had ignored Leia, or at least seemed to, and Bail would know. Outside even the Alliance’s monitoring of him, Bail had paid, and paid well, to be informed on any mention of Leia from him or any movement towards her. There had been _nothing_ in all the years since Leia started working for Bail in the Senate. Even after she joined that body herself and came into his path more often. All the evidence pointed to the fact that Vader was only nominal aware Bail’s daughter even existed.

Breha, seeing his silence, and the probable reasons for it, stepped towards Leia asking “He told you that you were his daughter. And you believed him?

Bail winced at the look of shocked outrage on Leia’s face. Breha was working on no sleep, at any other time she would never have been so foolish to tell a lie that their daughter could spot so easily.

“It’s not a question of believing him or disbelieving him.” Leia said, “I know it’s the truth.”

Bail felt a protesting noise climb out of his throat. Please, by all the gods, please don’t let it be she learned this from _Vader_. This was a revelation that required careful handling and soft words. With time for her to process what this all meant for her, and her destiny in the larger fight they were engaged in. This was something that had the power to shatter his daughter into a million shards. Bail’s heart couldn’t take the thought of his daughter learning her origins in such a fashion. Not from that dark nightmare that had once been a man. Desperate for any answer other than that one he asked “When did you find out?”

She looked at him, and then her eyes glanced to the door behind him. Irritated she asked, “Does that matter right now?”

She had a point about the fact they were running out of time, but this was something Bail needed to know. Now. “No Leia,” he said “It matters. This matters more than you can possibly know. It is the most heavily guarded secret in the galaxy. How did you learn it?”

Glaring at him she said haughtily  “I thought that was Luke.” The hits just kept coming. Luke, she knew about Luke? There was such indignant anger on her face as she said “Although, if that's the case, letting him keep the last name Skywalker was putting a giant target on his back. Knowing how Vader feels about Tatooine you might have been smart leaving him there, but overall I’m not sure how much thought you and Kenobi put into this whole plan.”

How did she know about the danger surrounding that last name? Did Vader also know about Luke? Had everything they fought so hard to protect over the last nineteen years come down in less than two days?

Bail barely heard the chastising “Leia!” from his wife. Shakily he asked “You know about Luke?” he asked

“I know a lot of things,” she said dismissively, and Bail held in the hysterical laughter. “The most important being we do not have time to spend arguing about this. We have to _go_.”

She was right. Whatever was going on, whatever secrets she had stumbled upon, and when she had learned them, or more importantly _how_ , could wait. Bail knew Vader’s temperament too well not to think he wouldn’t fly here himself looking to destroy Leia.

“You are right, Vader will come. We will discuss the rest of this latter.” He turned around and quickly headed back to the entrance to the palace. Leia followed him, with her mother close behind her.

They moved quickly through the palace, weaving through the corridors at an almost run.  As they approached the arch to the great state room, Breha gave him a quick glance and said hurriedly, “I’ll handle the evacuation order and get our affairs in order.” She rushed passed them, her long skirts trailing in her wake.

Bail didn’t hesitate but entered the room in an almost run. Vaguely he was aware that Leia had remained by the entrance they had come through, not entering the room, but his eyes were trained on Obi-Wan.

The man’s face brightened as he took in the woman behind him. “Bail is that-” he started to say.

“Yes,” Bail said, cutting him off. “And we don’t have much time.”

“Time for what?” Luke asked.

“Vader is on his way, we need to leave.”

“Vader?” Luke’s face tightened “The man that killed my father?”

Killed his father? What had Obi-Wan been doing with him over the last nineteen years? Bail shot his old friend a questioning look, but it was ignored.

“Yes,” Obi-Wan said, “Then it would probably be for the best if we leave now.”

Then that Captain re-entered the room. What was he still doing here? He had received his payment, had he not? Bail had hoped he would be gone by now. He came sauntering over to them, but Bail noticed how his eyes flicked to every corner of the room. He spotted Leia, gave her a quick assessing look, and returned his attention to Luke.

“Hey kid, sure I can’t convince you to come with me?” he asked in a low voice, trying not to be overheard.

“Are you offering me a job?” Luke said shocked.

Bail raised his voice, irritated. “We appreciate of your help Captain Solo, but we are no longer in need of your serves.”

Leia’s voice from over his shoulder. “Yes, we do.” Bail turned, almost, but not quite numb to his shock. That was twice in one day that she had contradicted him. And in public no less. She stepped into the room, and the sunlight hit her full on.

“Leia…” he said warningly. He shot a look at the Captain, worried about what sensitive information she would divulge. His eyes returned to his daughter, to see if she understood his unspoken message. She had, but she merely looked surprised at his suggestion.

Then a deliberately blank mask fell over her features. Bail thought he knew his daughter, but this was an expression he had never seen on her face before. “They won’t be looking for his ship, he’s here, and no friend to the Empire. I’m sure we can pay whatever ludicrous price he’s sure to set.”

These were all good points, but there would be no stopping anywhere else to get another ship. They needed to be on Yavin, now. This man’s services were available to the highest bidder. He might not tell the Empire directly, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t inform Jabba.

Seeing the look on his face, she grew mulish. “We don’t have time, and we can’t take the one I stole. That will definitely be on all Imperial watchlists. It needs to be scuttled.”

His wife entered the room “I’ve given the order for everyone to depart.” she informed the room, “Captain Salano has agreed to take the Imperial ship to the base.” They all stared at her “Waste not, want not.” she explained, somewhat defensively. “An Imperial shuttle is an Imperial shuttle. I’m sure someone will find a use for it, and he’s willing to take the risk to fly it out of here.” Even now, in the midst of the ruins of almost every dream and wish they had, Breha was thinking of the practicalities.

“It will be an extra ten thousand,” the Captain said, smugness in his tone.

“Done.” Leia agreed. Bail opened his mouth to disagree, they could find another transport, but the look of sadness that he could see in Leia stopped his words cold.

Captain Solo rocked on his heels, “Well, you all are in a big hurry.” he commented wryly.

“More than likely there is going to be an entire Imperial garrison here in less than an hour tearing this place apart looking for me. We’ll pay your inflated price.” Even in these desperate times, his daughter was unable to hold her tongue. That temper of hers was going to get her into more trouble then she knew.

The Captain merely snorted his derision. He looked Leia up and down, with a lewd eye. “You're an awfully little thing for such a fuss.” Bail didn’t care much for his tone.

Luke spoke up before he could say anything “Don’t you have any manners? She’s a princess!”

Leia didn’t look offended though. She looked at the captain with fondness and amusement, but not anger. A small smile crossed her face “And you are in possession of one hell of a scrap heap to be that cocky.”

“Hey! She’s got it where it counts.” he protested.

Her eyes lit up at the challenge, and a superior smirk crossed her face. “That’s what all men say.”

Was she flirting? With this ragamuffin? Now? “Leia!” he barked, appalled at her crassness.

The Wookie let out a howl of laughter and said something that made the Captain's face flush. Leia’s face matched his, and she shot Bail a mortified look. Just what was going on here?

Unable to keep his mouth shut Solo muttered “I believe in showing not telling.” Then a serious look crossed his face “Transfer the funds now. I have a feeling most of your legit accounts are about to be seized.”

Now Leia was hurt. Pain flashed across her face, but it was quickly replaced by a mask of indifference. Bail was almost certain that no one else in the room even noticed it. Not liking that she was upset but unable to figure out why Bail watched as she retreated into her most remote persona.

“We honor our debts Captain, It is the Alderaan way,” she informed him, sounding like Breha at her frostiest.

Bail wasn’t sure what to make if his daughter’s reaction to the Corellian, but he would not have her insulted by him. “It is also our way to give respect to those who give it.” Bail’s voice was of disapproval.

Reading all the tensions in the room, Breha stated firmly to Solo, “I’ll see to your payment.” She turned to Leia, “While we have the chance you might want to change out of that,” her disgust was clear at the Imperial uniform.

Leia nodded and left the room.

There was a brief pause and then Solo added “Quite the spitfire of a daughter you have there.” A grin crossed his face “I think I like her.”

Bail wasn’t a violent man by any means, but he really wished at that moment he was, so he could hit the man.

Rather than dignified his baiting remark with a response, he turned to Obi-Wan and Luke. “We’ll be ready to leave in about ten minutes,” he said. Both men nodded and he left the great hall to pack what he needed.

 

Things moved fast after that. Breha was done before him, and she gave him a kiss on the cheek before heading to the landing field. Instead of following her directly when he was done with his own packing, Bail went to Leia’s room to meet her. She came out, dressed in simple but efficient clothes. They walked quickly to ship they had hired.

Bail was striding to the beat up ship when he felt Leia stop beside him. He turned and met her face, concerned about the panic he saw there. He looked back to the Captain, who was waiting beside the landing ramp for them. Was it him that cause this reaction in his daughter?

“We can find another ship if he bothers you that much.” There was a brief pause, then Leia shook her head.

“We need to go, he’s here. It will be fine Papa,” she tried to reassure him. She was doing a very bad job of it. Frowning Bail continued on, heading up the plank.

Captain Solo muttered a mocking “Your Majesty,” as he passed, but Bail ignored him. He went to find his wife and stow his bag somewhere safe. Then, when they had a moment, he, Breha, Obi-Wan, and Leia were going to have a serious discussion. Bail had been battered around too much in the last two days. He needed answers and he needed them now.

 

Once they had entered hyperspace, Bail approached Luke and Obi-Wan. Turning a regretful look at Luke he said quietly “My apologies, but I need to steal General Kenobi for a moment. There are things that we need to discuss with him privately.” The boy looked puzzled but gave a nod of acceptance. He may look like Anakin, but he had clearly inherited Padme’s much more smooth acceptance of surprises.

He caught Leia’s eyes and she turned, walking down the corridor, and entered a hold of some sort if all the cargo piled into it was anything to go by Bail had not been paying all that much attention when he had boarded, but he was willing to concede this was a better place to hold a conversation, despite the lack of formal seating. There was a door, so there was less chance of being overheard.

Leia was standing by the door, Breha gave her a worried frown as she passed her, but Leia didn’t seem to notice. He and his wife headed to a long crate and sat gingerly on it. Obi-Wan had also chosen to remain standing, opposite of Leia.

When the door slid shut Obi-Wan straightened, and again the Jedi General of the Clone Wars was there, replacing the tired man he had been moments before. He swung his eyes to Bail. “What did you wish to discuss that was so urgent and in privacy?”

“Vader knows I’m his child,” Leia said tonelessly, but her posture was radiating her discomfort.

Obi-Wan’s face paled and he swung his gaze from Bail to her. “What?”

“Vader knows about me,” she said, her body shifting ever so slightly from side to side, the only indication how much that fact bothered her. “But he doesn’t know about Luke, I made sure of that. You are going to need to speed up my brother’s training.”

Obi-Wan shot him a startled look. When they had conceived this plan all those years ago they had both agreed that they might have to reveal the twin’s parentage to them, but at all costs, they should not be made aware that they had a sibling. At least not until they met. It was safer for both of them that way. If one twin was discovered, they couldn’t reveal the other’s existence.

Bail shook his head, indicating that he had not been the one to tell Leia this. The Jedi shook his head in confusion. “I’m sorry Your Highness, but how do you know any of this?”

Leia’s posture abruptly straightened and her hand dropped to her side. With a start Bail realized she was reaching for a blaster. He had seen too many Clone War veterans do the same thing to mistake that move for anything else. “Who the hell are you?” she demanded of the thin air.

Breha’s hand tightened in his and Bail’s breath came in raggedly.

There was a long pause, then Obi-Wan’s voice cut through the silence  “You can see him?”

Leia gestured to Obi-Wan’s right, “He’s standing right there.”

Bail blinked, this was getting out of hand. “Leia, there is no one there.”

“That is not entirely correct,” a new voice remarked dryly. Slowly, like an old holo powering up, a figure appeared next to Obi-Wan. He was human, tall, taller then Bail even, with long hair tied back, and dressed in the traditional garb of a Jedi. He was also slightly blue and transparent.. Bail visibly felt himself flinch at the sight. By all the gods what was this? Beside him, Breha went absolutely still.

The ghost offered him and Breha a gentle smile, “When I make an effort I can be visible to those without training,” he said in a low smooth voice. His gaze returned to Leia and his head cocked in puzzlement “Which leads me to some very interesting questions about where you received your Jedi training, Your Highness?”

Seeing the impossible, Bail focused on the practical. “She hasn’t had any. We didn’t want to draw attention to her.” Not that there had been too many options available. By the time Leia had been old enough to understand that such training needed to be hidden, Ashoka had been killed. She was the only one, besides Obi-Wan, that Bail would have even considered trusting with his daughter.

Obi-Wan shook his head “She can see him Bail, that says otherwise.” He turned to face Leia “You also are aware of your connection to Vader and Luke. Do you have an explanation, Your Highness?”

Something like pain crossed Leia’s face at the title, but the only thing she offered was “Leia.”

Obi-Wan’s body relaxed slightly, “Leia, then.” There was a bright look of pleasure, but it faded away so fast that Bail doubted anyone who didn’t know the man would have seen it. “When did you learn any of this?”

She sighed, and rubbed her head, a sure sign of her frustration and worry. Dropping her hands she stared at all of them, making sure she had their attention.

“I’m from thirty-four years in the future,” she said simply.

Bail blinked, trying to wrap his mind around what she had just said. He stared at her, and something like disappointment passed over her face. Her eyes slid away, and she went on.

“I went to sleep, on my own bed, and everything was perfectly normal. I woke up on an Imperial shuttle with absolutely no explanation.”

She returned to Obi-wan’s question “The “when” I learned is four years from now,” there was a small huff of amusement in her tone, “or thirty years ago from my perspective. The how I know is Luke told me. He learned that Vader was our father and the fact that we are siblings, from Yoda. Who, as far as I know, is currently living in exile on Dagobah. Luke is also the one who gave me my limited, and I cannot stress this enough, limited training in the Force.”

This was so much worse than he thought. Vader had not only tortured her, discovered her and Luke's origins, with the Force presumably, he had also snapped that brilliant mind into pieces.

Obi-Wan’s voice was only filled with confusion, not concern “I’m sorry. Did I hear you say you're from the future?”

“Yes,” Leia said simply. If he hadn’t just heard the words that had come out of her mouth, Bail would never had thought she wasn’t sane.

Beside him, Breha made a noise of pain. “You’re telling the truth aren't you?” she asked, sobs in the back of her voice “That is how you know all this.”

Leia’s face softened, and she nodded “Yes, I am. I know how insane it sounds. I’m living it and I can’t wrap my head around it, but it is the truth.” Well clearly her delusion hadn’t led her to think they would believe her. He looked at his wife, trying to gauge what she thought about this, and he stilled. She was looking at Leia with a mixture of grief and pain. But not concern. Bail knew his wife, she _believed_ Leia.

Breha let out a small sob. Leia started to approach them, but Breha waved her away. “Thirty-four years I’ve missed,” she explained, “It’s a lot to take in.”

Obi-Wan’s voice was full of incredulous disbelief. “That is not possible.” Bail wholeheartedly agreed with that statement. But he would feel better about who was on his side if Obi-Wan hadn’t acted like the transparent dead Jedi standing beside him wasn’t something out of the ordinary.

A bitter look of amusement filled Leia’s face “Vader said almost the exact same thing when I told him too.”

This is where things really fell apart for him. “If all of this is true, and that is a big if,” Bail warned “why would you tell him that Leia? You just made yourself more valuable to him, not less.”

Leia gave him a helpless shrug “I didn’t have many cards to play, and a lot to conceal. I thought if I told him the truth he would be intrigued enough to keep to questions about the future.”

“So the first thing you tell him is you are his daughter?” He and Breha had spent years, _years,_  concealing this from Vader and to a lesser extent the Emperor.  Bail had learned so many mediation and shielding techniques so that one stray thought didn’t inadvertently betray his daughter. He wasn’t sure how well the Force worked on non-Force users to read minds, and with no one to ask, he had determined that being over cautious was better than underprepared.

He had so many contingency plans in place, for himself, for Breha, if either one of them was taken into Imperial custody to make sure that they never said one word about Leia’s origins. He had greatly curtailed his involvement in the Alliance that he had helped found, in order to minimize the threat to Leia. He had done all of these things, and gladly. But to hear her so casually give that information away cut him to the core.

Leia’s face crumpled, and that remote woman was gone, in her place the child whose cuts and bruises he had comforted. “I am not his daughter! I am your daughter.”

Before Bail could even process how this conversation had gotten so completely off track Breha was up and sweeping Leia into a hug. “Of course you are,” she whispered “You are our Leia. That was never in doubt.”

Bail sat there, numb. He never meant... Leia accepted the embrace, muttered something he didn’t quite catch and then pulled away. “I’m sorry,” she said, tears unshed in her eyes as she faced him, “You didn’t deserve that. It’s just been,” and she rubbed her forehead “a really long two days for me.”

Bail could only imagine. Even if this was a delusion brought on by torture and stress, she must be completely disoriented. He got up and enveloped her “Leia,“ he whispered “of course, of course”

Much like she had done with Breha she accepted the hug, but quickly pushed him away. Bail’s heart broke. What did she believe had happened that she would refuse comfort offered to her from them?

Leia squared her shoulders and turned to the light blue figure. “But I have to say in all that time you never came up,” she said suspiciously.

Their ghostly visitor only looked amused. He gave Leia the precise bow owed to her rank. “Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn at your service my lady.”

“General Leia Organa.” Beside him Breha drew in a sharp breath.

“General,” she said, looking at Leia with disbelief written into her “Not Princess or Queen?” The renunciation of Leia’s title was shocking.

Again, something passed over Leia’s face that Bail couldn't identify. “No,” she said, indicating this subject was closed.

Leia turned back “So I have a name Jedi Master Jinn. But that still doesn’t explain who you are and why you are here?”

“I am an interested party,” he answered. Jinn, Jinn, Jinn. Bail knew that name, but he couldn't remember why.

Obi-Wan spoke like this was all perfectly reasonable “He was my master, and while I was on Tatooine he continued in that role.”

That was the last piece Bail needed. Qui-Gon Jinn, the Jedi master who died on Naboo. Padme had mentioned him often in her speeches defending the Jedi in the Senate during the Clone Wars.

Leia only looked confused “Wait, I thought Yoda was your master.”

“Yoda trained most of the younglings before they were accepted by an individual master.”

She looked put out “Did you tell Luke anything that was true?” she demanded.

Obi-Wan looked startled at the accusation, “If I am to believe you, then I have no idea. I don’t know what my alternate told him.”

A look of disbelief crossed her face “Anything you have said up to this point falls into that category Master Jedi.” Bail would have defended his friend, but he had heard from Luke’s own lips about how Vader “killed” his father, so he was rather interested in this answer himself.

“Obi-Wan.” The Jedi insisted.

A sour look crossed her face, but she politely repeated “Obi-Wan.”

“Everything I have told him about the Force is true. I did train Anakin, he was a Jedi Knight. The lightsaber I gave him did belong to your father. Anakin never mentioned it was for his children, I figured one of you should have it.” Obi-Wan gave Luke the lightsaber that Vader used on the siege of the temple? Where was the man’s mind at?

Leia didn’t look very impressed either “Everything else being true from a certain point of view?”

He gave her his best charming smile. Bail could have told him not to bother. Leia distrusted charming people. “That’s actually quite clever. Who said it?”

“You did,” she said flatly.

Qui-Gon made some sort of muffled noise at that statement. Bail looked over at him curiously, then had to quickly avert his eyes. Everything that he was, told him that this man’s presence was _wrong._  Bail wasn’t so arrogant to believe his beliefs should be the ones held by everyone in the galaxy. But in his faith, ghosts were the souls of those who had been cast from paradise, to walk the land of the living unable to interact with anyone, or affect anything, ever. He didn’t believe much in that particular aspect anymore, much, but that still didn’t mean there wasn’t a part of him that wasn’t terrified by this sight. It was too ingrained in his psyche.

Leia, however, didn’t seem as bothered. “You are one with the Force, correct?”

“Yes General,” Bail felt the slightest wince from Breha at that title instead of Your Highness. “I died long ago on Naboo.”

Leia turned pleading eyes on Jinn. “Do you know what happened to me? Have you ever heard of anything like this?”

Bail leaned forward, curious about this answer himself. Master Jinn was silent for a few moments then he answered sadly. “I’m dead, not omnipotent. And what I sense around you.” Bail still found he couldn't look at the man straight on, but he caught movement as the ghost gestured at his daughter “The Force curls around you in odd angles, like it is trapping you here.”

There was a long pause, then in a lecturing tone, he said “Time doesn’t move for me like it does for you. Like the Force itself, time is everywhere and nowhere. They are bound together in ways that are very hard to put into concrete concepts the living can understand. And since I am part of the Force, and it’s a part of time, I can move along that line backward and forward to a limited degree.” Bail was somewhat reassured by this. That sounded nothing like what the existence of ghosts was supposed to be, according to the tales his Gran used to tell him.

Hope flickered on Leia’s face “How limited?”

“Too limited to travel as far forward as you seem to have come. I retain an essence of myself in the Force, and that is the leash that binds me. There is no power in this galaxy that comes without a price General, and this is the one I pay. If I let myself go fully into the Force, I could, of course, see that far ahead, but there would no longer be enough of me to care. And I’ve never seen a living being able to go backward and forward like this at all. My training master was considered one of the finest historians on the odder legends surrounding the Force in all its uses. He never mentioned anything like this too me.”

Leia looked shattered “You don’t think I can get back.”

Go back? Go back to where? And who would be left in her place?

Jinn shook his head in the negative. “No, I don’t. I don’t know why this has happened or how, but I don’t think there is any way for you to return while you are among the living.”

He sounded so sad, so mournful. Leia looked away, hiding what she was thinking from them. When had she learned to do that? When had she stopped trusting them with her thoughts? He looked at his wife, who had such a look of sorrow on her face. Bail had been following her lead for too long to discount the conclusion she was coming to.

He looked back at his daughter, who met his gaze head-on. There were too many shadows on that face, too many sorrows. He spoke to Leia just three days ago and none of this had been there. He could see his little girl, still there, built into her foundations, but this woman had layers built on to her he didn't know or understand. The horrible thought, that maybe this was all true, danced in his mind.

Obi-Wan broke the silence by clearing his throat. “While I don’t want to trivialize your situation Leia, I do have more questions about your conversation with Vader.”

Again that blank mask of nothingness descended over her face. She turned to face Obi-Wan, as neutral a facade as she could present to him.

Obi-Wan looked at her neck worriedly, “I doubt you would be foolish enough to tell Vader of your parentage. I assume he tortured that information out of you?”

Bail startled. He foolishly had not put together the sight of those bruises and Vader. Leia turned to them, reassurance in her voice “No. There was no torture. He figured it out. I thought I was being careful, but apparently not enough.”

“Forgive me General,” Qui-Gon said softly as if he was trying not to spook her, “but those marks around your neck speak otherwise.”

Leia frowned and twisted so she could see her reflection on one of the shiny metal surfaces of one of the crates. What Bail could see other face looked surprised. Had she forgotten that they were there? She gave a slow shake of her head, as she turned to them, a bitter smile on her face. “No this wasn’t him trying to torture me. I’ve been tortured by Vader, I know what that entails.”

Bail felt his heart drop, and Breha grabbed his hands so hard that he felt her fingernails draw blood. “He did torture you?” he said.

Leia only looked puzzled. “Not this one. The other one. The one in my past.” What other one? There was more than one Vader?

At their looks of confusion she clarified “The Vader from when I was actually nineteen, he did torture me.” Her hands came up to her neck and gently touched the bruises. “The Vader here and now, he was trying to kill me at this point.”

Bail wasn’t sure that was any better.

Obi-Wan frowned “What did you say to him? What brought this on?”

That was enough. Bail might be lost, confused, and worried for his daughter’s sanity. But he did know this. To imply that she had deserved this treatment, that in any sane universe that this was a rational response to anything Leia could conceivably do to Vader was preposterous. Bail turned on him and barked in warning  “Obi-Wan!”

Obi-Wan only looked puzzled, then horror crossed his face. “I’m sorry.” he said, regret clear “Too much time alone in the desert without talking to other people. I am clearly out of practice at it. I wasn’t trying to imply blame. What I meant was how did you provoke him to that?” Bail relaxed slightly as the Jedi went on “Vader is no fool, you are clearly an asset worth keeping alive.”

Leia shot them a guilty look. And in the same voice she had used when she confessed she had snuck out that one time to go to a classmates party she said meekly. “I lost my temper, and told him that he was jealous that there was no one there to forgive him for killing his wife.”

By all the gods, Bail knew her temper would get her into trouble, but he never thought for a moment she would be this reckless. “Leia, how could you be so foolish?” She was lucky that all she ended up with was a row of nasty bruises.

“And cruel?” Breha said, disappointed. “If we are to be as mean as our enemies are we no better than them?”

Leia offered them no defense, just that guilty look.

“That would have done it.” Obi-Wan said,  “How did you escape his grip?”

She looked at him like he was slow “I punched him.”

Bail was feeling like he was only understanding half of what was being said. “With your fist?” The thought was ludicrous. Leia knew how to throw a punch, but even if she jumped she was unlikely to be able to reach any vulnerable target on him.

She shook her head “No, with the Force.” Like it was obvious.

Obi-Wan asked the next question “And he let go because he was startled?”

Leia looked only more puzzled “No because it threw him across the room.”

The four of them, including the ghost, just stared at her. Bail felt like he couldn’t breathe for a moment.

She got defensive  “What? It’s not hard to do. Luke showed me years ago how to backup a punch with the Force. I can see why the choking trick works on non-Force sensitives, but it’s easy to break it if you know what you are doing and don’t panic.”

Bail had heard tales of what Vader was capable of doing with the Force. He had never witnessed it himself, but what he had heard was bad enough. Of tons of equipment being flicked away like it was nothing. Of blasters being deflected away. Of his ability to sink into your mind and tear every piece of information you were trying to hide. And Leia had said she had thrown him across a room like this was something everyone should be able to do.  

“Easy.” Obi-wan said, a note of hysteria in his voice, shaking his head in disbelief “Easy to do she says. Leia I think you have a very skewed idea of what easy is.”

Leia looked wary now. “I don’t understand.”

Bail spoke up “Leia, he has killed full Jedi knights with that little ‘trick’ as you call it.”

Her eyes widened and her face grew pale “What? How?”

Obi-Wan had hidden away his uneasiness and his voice was artificially light and amused “Well teaching Luke is certainly going to be even more of an adventure than I anticipated.” Then he sobered as he took Leia in “You said he figured it out?”

“Yes,” she admitted, shamefaced. As if keeping something from Vader’s interrogation methods was something she expected to be able to do.

There was nothing but regret in Obi-Wan’s tone “I’m sorry to say that punch you threw was more than likely how he deduced your parentage. Leia, even at the height of the Jedi, there were very few beings in the Force that were powerful enough to do what you did.”

Leia said nothing, just looked at him like he was speaking a language she didn’t understand. “Meet him in the Force head on and push back.” Obi-Wan was hunching slightly, the only tell he had that showed what it cost him to admit this next part. “I only managed it once, and he was half out of his mind during that fight. Even Master Yoda couldn’t, and it is probably beyond Palpatine's power to do so as well. With trickery and distraction yes, it could be managed. But pure power versus power, he is quite beyond most in that regard.”

“Oh,” she looked so worried “I didn't realize that was the case.” And why was that the case? She said Luke trained her, where was Obi-Wan in this future of hers? Where was Yoda?

That wasn’t the immediate concern. They needed a plan to protect Leia from Vader. She was a threat to him, and he would hunt her down and kill her as he had done to all threats to him over the last nineteen years. “Then we need a plan to deal with him.” Bail announced.

She shook her head and again contradicting him. Bail didn’t think she meant to be so blatantly disrespectful. It was more that she was acting like someone who hadn’t had to follow someone else's orders in a very long time. Bail didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad one. “No, Vader’s not the main problem right now. The Death Star is our more immediate concern.”

Obi-Wan just looked baffled “What’s a Death Star?”

“It’s a battle station” Bail explained, weariness overwhelming him. In the revelations of this conversation, he had forgotten all about it. “One capable of destroying planets.”

“Whole planets?” Master Jinn asked, shocked.

Bail grimaced, thinking of the reports about Jedha. “We know it’s capable of destroying entire cities. In theory, it can destroy planets.”

“In fact,” Leia said.

He raised his eyes to meet hers. “Are you sure?”

There was a wave of pure rage that danced in her eyes for a second, then it was all gone. “Yes.”

Breha’s voice had the slightest tremor in it “The Empire used it?”

Leia nodded but didn’t offer what planet, or planets, it had been used on. Bail fought nausea rising in his stomach.

Obi-wan put his face into his hands, “I truly am too old for this.” In mind, certainly, if not in body. The man was only fifty-seven. Bail could sympathize, he felt like he had aged decades in the last two days. “Those are the plans that are in R2.”

“Yes.” Bail said, thankful that at least that was one area in his life where things hadn’t gone disastrously wrong. “We can only hope that the engineer, Galen Erso, really did put in a weakness to exploit.”

“He did.” Leia said offhandedly, “There is an exhaust port that leads to the main reactor. One direct hit and the station will explode.”

Bail stared at her. She sounded like this was something that they should know. Because it was a fact that she had lived with, he realized. For thirty-four years in fact. “I did do this once before,” Leia said defensively.

“Yes, and it occurs to me that if you give us a rundown of what happened that would make things considerably easier,” Obi-Wan said.

Leia opened her mouth, then clicked it shut. “No,” she said.

“Excuse me?” Obi-Wan asked.

“No, I won’t tell you,” she said more firmly.

Bail squashed the impulse to yell at her. It hadn't worked on her when she was a teenager, and he sincerely doubted it would work on this older version of herself. “Leia, I think we have more experience in these matters than you.”

She looked at him, and again he was staring at someone he didn’t recognize. It was all there in her body posture, voice, and words. “No, you don’t know that. That’s the point. I have decades worth of experience, both in battle and political. I earned that rank of General, it wasn’t given to me as a sop or because there wasn’t anyone else. This is too dangerous for you to know. It’s too dangerous for anyone to know, even me. But I’m stuck with it and for now, I’m keeping my silence.”

“ _I’m from thirty-four years in the future,_ ” echoed in his mind. If that were true, the Leia standing in front of him was fifty-three years old. In practical terms, she was only four years younger than Obi-Wan.

Bail was too shaken by that sudden revelation to press further, but Master Jinn said politely “If you could explain your logic in refusing? I would have thought you would have jumped at the chance of ensuring a victory?”

She relaxed at the direct question. In a much calmer voice, she said “The more we deviate from the timeline I know, the less valuable my intelligence becomes. But will anybody be able to resist relying on it anyway? I already fell into that trap, thinking I could stay on top of everything and look how that turned out. I will say something if I know we are heading into obvious problems, but I’m not going to give anyone a full briefing on this. It is too tempting to use.”

“I understand your concerns, but surely not everything you remembered happening was bad?” Obi-Wan asked

She looked trapped. “No. Not all of it.”

There was only one outcome in a future where the Death Star had been used, probably on multiple planets that Leia would consider “good”. “We won, didn’t we?’ he asked.

She looked at him, caution and fear warring on her face. He couldn’t begin to guess where her mind had gone, but she reached a conclusion shorty enough. A small fond smile broke out on her face “Yes, we did.”

His wife, ever thinking through all possibilities of action, asked softly “So what if we try to stick as close as we can to the events as you originally remember them? To ensure that victory?”

That happiness faded away. Leia shook her head “That’s not possible. Vader _knows_ about me.” And would Bail’s blood ever stop running cold at that fact? “I can guess, based off his alternate’s actions, what he is going to do, but I can’t know that for sure. That fact alone is going to alter what is coming. I escaped the Death Star much earlier than before. There are going to be major consequences for that action.”

Bail opened his mouth, what did she mean she could guess based on what that other Vader had done? What actions had she set in motion by escaping? But she cut him off before he could speak.

“No, I won’t tell you now what happened, not until the danger has passed. But trust me when I tell you they probably won’t be recreated. It’s already far too late to move the timeline back.”

Obi-Wan’s eyes narrowed “So you are going to decide what is best for the whole galaxy?”

There was no give in Leia’s voice “With this knowledge, yes.”

“Even though there is a good likelihood you can make the future worse.” There was the famed Negotiator, a bit rusty perhaps, but trying to use guilt to get someone to reconsider their actions.

Leia wasn’t having any of it. She met his eyes head on and said. “Yes.” When had his daughter become someone who could take Obi-Wan head on and emerge the victor?

“You are so like your father,” Qui-Gon remarked and then vanished. Bail couldn’t contain the flinch. That was deeply unsettling. Leia only frowned though, puzzled by that remark. Bail hoped she never put together that Jinn was talking about Anakin, not him.

He would be returning to this subject of future knowledge again, but she was right about the Death Star being their most pressing concern. Since she had admitted to changing the circumstances of what happened last time, her knowledge on that would be next to useless. He rubbed his forehead, hoping rather than believing that she might calm down in a few days enough to see his points and tell him, at least, what happened to her. “All right, we will table this discussion for now.”

She didn’t look like she believed him, but let it go. He wished he could avoid the next question too, but he needed to know the scope of the problem they were facing. “But to return to the distasteful subject of Vader, did you tell him anything else about the future?”

She swallowed hard, “That Palpatine kills him,” Palpatine? Not her or Luke? Well, that was an interesting turn of events. Not completely unexpected, but interesting. “But not about the fall of the Empire. Not that Palpatine died. He didn’t even ask,” she corrected herself “I don’t even think it occurred to him to ask.”

Obi-Wan said, “That would have been a short conversation.”

Guilt flooded her face and she faced the older man “I also told him about you.” she said.

Bail had learned his lesson from the last wild accusation he had thrown in her face in this conversation. Let Obi-Wan handle this one. “May I ask as to why?” his voice was only curious.

“I was counting on the fact that you were going to show up on the Death Star in a few hours anyway.” Just what had happened to her in that other timeline? “I didn’t think it would make that much of a difference and I had to tell him something.”

“Well, clearly that event didn’t happen.” At her still guilty expression, he reassured her “Don’t worry yourself, Leia. It’s a moot point. Luke’s training in earnest now and that would have drawn his attention regardless.” There was a pause, then he said softly ”I died shortly after arriving on that station didn't I?”

Leia looked at him sadly, “Yes, you did. Vader cut you down and your body disappeared.” Well, that explained where Obi-Wan had been, and why Leia was having so much trouble reading him. He was a stranger to her.

Bail’s mind paused on one word in that statement. “Disappeared?”

She rolled her eyes “Yes, it was all very dramatic.” She paused for a moment then “After Vader figured out our...connection he left the interrogation room. I got lucky, Tarkin took an interest in his reaction and sent some of his men to question me about it. I killed them and made my way out.”

“The future is always in motion. Although in your case it is the past.” Bail could barely pay attention to what Obi-Wan was saying. There was no change on her face as she spoke of killing those men.

She noticed his pale face. “Papa?” she asked concerned.

“I never wanted you to be a soldier,” he said, “and you casually talking about killing those Imperials prove that is exactly what you ended up being.”

“Not for all of it,” she said. Bail had the feeling that was true. But she was very carefully not saying how long she had been a soldier.

“I suppose you have no desire to train with Luke?” Obi-Wan asked.

Distaste crossed her face “No.”

“Ahh, well I suppose I will continue on then as planned.”

Leia looked vaguely panicked at that thought. “I’m going to tell him I’m his sister,” she announced. Bail nodded to himself. It made sense that she would want to reach out for her family, for all of her family.

Obi-Wan frowned “Why?”

She looked uneasy “Let’s just say it will avoid any difficult situations rising in the future.”

“I understand you miss your brother Your Highness, but I don’t see how telling Luke now will do anything but distract him.” Bail was puzzled. He understood the Jedi’s philosophy on attachments, well as much as any outsider could. But he thought the whole point of having Leia and Luke raised by other people beside Obi-Wan and Yoda was to teach them the value of such relationships.

“You have two young people who meet in a highly charged atmosphere where they could die at any time. These two people feel incredibly close to each other like they were meant to be side by side. That destiny meant for them to be together. What do you think will happen then?” Beside him, Breha cocked her head. What was Leia talking about? Bail of Breha would have told her about Luke the minute the two of them came into contact with each other.

Obi-Wan looked horrified  “You didn’t.”

She shook her head “No. But it was close though. Far too close for my comfort, and I need to be very drunk if I am going to talk about this further.”

Obi-Wan looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here having this conversation. “Yes, of course.” He took a small pause then asked “Is there anything else I need to know before we arrive at Yavin?” None of them spoke up, so he said “Then if you don’t mind I feel the need to meditate. This is a lot to process.”

Obi-Wan did look overwhelmed, so Bail waited until he left the room before following up on his and Leia’s conversation. He turned to her, “We didn’t tell you? I can’t believe I wouldn’t have said anything.”

She looked at him, naked grief on her face. But it was Breha who understood first. “We died, didn’t we?” she said.

Leia only nodded.

“Oh, Leia.” Bail felt like someone had walked over his grave, which was something he really shouldn’t be focused on right now. He would process this later. Seeking to avoid that fate he asked “Can you tell us how?”

“No.” Bail was a bit taken aback by that answer. Then she looked at them and her face softened. “Not yet.” This wasn’t about withholding information, this was Leia at the end of her limits. Bail could understand it would probably be very painful to recount the details of their deaths, for all of them. It could wait.

Breha agreed, “Well I suggest we all take this time to rest. I imagine things will be quite busy on Yavin. **”**

That sounded like an excellent idea to Bail. He headed to the door and then thought of the other problem they had. Minor in the scheme of things, but Bail was good on following up on the details. “Are you sure we can trust this smuggler?”

She didn't even think about it “Yes.”

He had seen nothing in her behavior towards the man to back that up. “His presence clearly disturbs you.”

She sighed “That is not his fault Papa.”

He trusted Leia, but he had other people he had to answer to for the Captain's presence. He needed a little bit more to go on. “Why do you trust him so much?”

“I married him.”

Bail froze, certain he had not heard her correctly. She simply looked at him. “You married that mercenary?” he found himself saying.

A look of hurt crossed her face, and she started to say something, but Bail shook his head, not wanting to hear it. “I’m sorry. This is a lot to take in, I need a moment,” and he walked out of the room.

 

Bail Organa on a whole disliked space travel. It was just the unpleasant fact of his life that his duty required that he spend a great deal of his time doing it. For the Republic, for Alderaan, for the Rebellion. He had been on ships that were the height of luxury to the ricketiest vehicles possible for his relief work during the Clone Wars. But no matter how luxurious they all seemed to have the permanent smell of too many people confined into a too small of a space for too long. This ship seemed to be the worst one he had ever traveled in. It was cramped, leaked, and was so poorly maintained it was a wonder the thing could even fly.

“ _I married him,_ ” Leia’s voice echoed in his head.

Captain Han Solo of the _Millennium Falcon_ was by far the last person in the galaxy Bail could see his daughter with. He was brash, uncouth, and clearly running with a crowd Bail would consider dangerous. Not that the command level within the Empire wasn’t dangerous, and Leia had certainly had enough contact with them. But she hadn’t married any of them, and Jabba and his ilk were of a far different sort of vicious.

The door to the quarters slid open and a shaft of light fell across. Bail looked up to see his wife, standing in the door frame.

She assessed him in one brief second. “You’re brooding,” she informed him.

Bail merely pivoted the chair to look at her. “I think I’ve earned the right.”

“Do you believe her?” Breha asked.

Bail, not ready to face his wife’s subtle interrogation on that subject just yet, turned the question back on her “You did. Immediately. Why?”

Breha sighed and walked into the room. She sat down on his lap and rested her head on his shoulder. “Her body language is different,” she said.

Bail frowned, as his arms automatically circled around her, and he ran his mind back over the last few hours. Leia had been tense and wary, but an encounter with Vader could account for that. “What do you mean?”

“She moves like a soldier,” his wife said. “She checks all exits and entrances. Even when she’s talking to you, you can see her paying attention to everything around her. And when we were talking in the hold she positioned herself by the door, so she could see everyone in it, and whoever might come in.”

“Could be a coincidence.” He allowed.

“She was the first one in that room and picked that spot deliberately.” Bail nodded his head, conceding the point.

“Yes, I believe her.” Bail said, “Or more accurately I believe you and Obi-Wan when you say you believe her.” He sighed and rubbed his chin on the top of her head, “This has just been the final culmination of a very bad set of days.” The only other time he could remember that was worse was the fall of the Republic, the annihilation of the Jedi, and the death of Padme.

There was a long silence as the sat there, just holding on to each other.

“She found out about Vader and we weren’t there.” Breha’s voice was full of pain.

“Luke was there,” Bail pointed out. Although that was another variable he wasn’t too sure on. If he had been asked yesterday what he thought Leia’s brother would be like, Bail would have said the boy would probably have Anakin’s brashness and ego. But that wasn’t the case. Luke certainly looked enough like the man, for all that he was shorter. He was polite, quiet, and surprisingly easy going, none of those words being the first ones used to describe Anakin. But if this was the boy’s natural state, or if he was overwhelmed by all the changes around him Bail couldn’t say.  

“But we weren’t _there_.” Breha’s voice wavered.

And that was its own special torment. Bail had known that it was a possibility that both he and Breha cold be killed. It hadn’t been his greatest fear though. No, that had been dying because Vader learned of Leia and killed him and Breha to get to her.  Or that he would be tortured and inadvertently reveal her existence.

“I don’t think we had much of a choice,” he said.

She only gave a weighty sigh.

“We failed her,” Bail said softly, the guilt swamping him.

Breha shook her head “We have not.”

“Leia’s a soldier.”

“She still loves, and values it.”

Bail’s face scowled “Yes, the husband.”

His wife’s face looked up at him in disappointment “Bail that isn’t fair. We don’t know what happened between them.”

“He’s a mercenary!” he exclaimed “What was she thinking marrying him? And the way she is so defensive around him-”

His wife’s gentle tone cut off his rant “He died.”

Bail stopped and turned his head down to look at her. “Excuse me?”

She sighed and reached up to cup his cheek “He died Bail. That’s why she’s having such a hard time being around him.”

Bail swallowed. “That doesn't mean anything,” he protested “We died too and you don’t see her avoiding us.”

“He died yesterday.”

Bail’s breath came in a sharp gasp. Yesterday? Her husband had died yesterday, and then she found herself a captive of the Empire again?

“How is she still standing?” he whispered, tightening his hold on his wife.

“I don’t know, but I do know you can make this easier for her, and keep your opinions to yourself.”

“If you think-”

“Not forever love,” she reached up and kissed his cheek, “but until she gets her feet back underneath her.” She gave him a teasing smile “Besides, there has to be more there then what we’ve seen so far. Leia wouldn’t have gotten involved, much less married him, if he is the man he presents himself to be.” She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Perhaps he’ll grow on you.”

“Perhaps,” he said. Bail thought it was far more likely that Vader would kill the Emperor and declare that democracy was restored. But the galaxy was an unpredictable place, stranger things had happened. It was just his fate to live through them and do the best he could.


	3. Han

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, sorry this one is a little late. Between Thanksgiving, the prep for Christmas, and the fact that a quarter of my family was born in December, it's been a really busy month for me. 
> 
> This is for lajulie24 who wanted the scene of drugged!Leia in Chapter 12 from Han's POV. And it was seconded by asmoonlightthroughthepines and autistichansolo. 
> 
> Also because I'm a forgetful writer Acyancat has begun to translate this work into Chinese. The link is at the bottom. As always I hope you enjoy!!

ABA - Day 54

 

Han sat in the captain's chair. He did a quick glance at the display panel, everything was working fine. Of course it was, Chewie hadn’t even powered down the engines, just sat the Falcon down right next to them.

He reached forward to grab the flight controls, ready to take off the second someone told him everyone was aboard. His hands were covered in blood.

He closed his eyes and shook his head hard. He couldn’t think about that. If he thought about that he would freeze up, and he couldn't afford to do that right now. Vader sure as hell hadn’t shown up on this hell hole of a planet by himself. There would be a destroyer, possibly two, waiting in orbit for them. He had to be ready. He had to focus.

But really, what the _hell_ had she been thinking? She had thrown herself in front of him. Him.  He liked being alive, there was no question about that. But he was Han Solo, smuggler, peasant, and all in all unimportant in the grand scheme of things.

Not like her. Leia was important. Forget the title, royalty, and the scary ass father, she was important because she was _Leia_. Leia inspired people. She inspired Luke, the old man, hell she had even had Han half believing that this Rebellion of hers would work. And she had thrown it all away to save him. He had never had anyone go to such lengths to protect him.

Why? Why had she done that? Again his mind whirled to his loss versus hers. Leia was every-

Chewie sat down in the co-pilot's seat next to him <Luke’s on board.>

“Great” Han muttered, pulling his attention back to the problems at hand. He got the Falcon off the ground, and heading for the empty sky. It wouldn’t be clear for long. “Get the nav computer up and calculating the jump to Yavin.”

Chewie didn’t immediately reach over to press the coordinates in.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Han demanded, his attention split between the viewport and his sensors panel. Those TIE’s were coming. The Empire didn't have much going for it, but they knew how to throw weapons at problems.

<Pup,> Chewie said softly, <she doesn't have that kind of time.>

Han looked directly at him, those brown eyes meeting his. His mind froze for a second. If they couldn't get her to Yavin, where could they go? Han had a basic med kit here, but that was in no way-

Chewie let out a bark of warning and Han turned his head.

“Kriffing hell!” he screamed as he banked immediately to the left, narrowly dodging the TIE that had come up beside them, firing. Stupid, so stupid. This is why you don’t get attached to people. It makes you careless, then it makes you dead.

He managed to avoid most of the incoming fire, but he felt the Falcon shudder as one of the shots hit her.

There were screams from the back, and Han heard several bodies crash to the ground.  

“Can you fly any more erratically?” Rex demanded from the back.

“Sure,” he shot back, “As soon as this TIE stops firing at us.” But he pulled his mind to the fight in front of him, not the one behind him. Proximity alarms started going off, and Han looked down at the data screen and started cursing.

“Luke!!” he cried out. There was no answer. “LUKE!” he screamed.

“What!?!” a hoarse voice answered him. The Kid was crying, no doubt about that, but if any of them wanted to leave this planet alive, Han needed him.

“I need you in the laser turret,” Han said, hating that he had to ask this. “And find someone in that crowd who knows how to work one. We are about to have a lot more visitors. I want you both on comms.”

“I can-” Rex offered.

<Anyone else a trained field medic?> Chewie cut that thought off before Han could start screaming at the old soldier.  

“What?” Rex asked, baffled. Right, he didn’t speak Shyriiwook. Luke had started to learn, but was only at “Hello” and “Goodbye”.

“Stay where you are Rex, and tend to Leia. I know how to operate one,” came Obi-Wan’s voice, calm even in the midst of all this chaos.

Han was too busy trying to play dodge the TIE fighter to yell at the two of them to hurry up. Chewie reached forward and flicked open the intercom so that Kenobi and Luke could hear everything said in the cockpit.

He didn’t have to wait long. Ten seconds later he heard two voices chime “I’m in,” right on top of each other. Damn, for something he had dismissed as mumbo-jumbo he had to admit that speed thing was very handy.

“We’ve got the one on our tails, and four more coming up to meet us,” Han told them. He knew what Luke was capable of, Kenobi was another story. “Old man, can you keep up with the maneuvers?”

“I shall certainly try,” came the amused answer. Like he had flown with pilots crazier than Han. Whatever.

Han weaved in a back and forth pattern, trying to keep all five TIE’s from hitting them while presenting Luke and Kenobi with viable shots. He felt, more than heard, the Falcon’s cannons go off. Kriffing Hell. That meant the back stabilizers were going. Nothing for it now, he could only hope they held until he was out of this hell hole of a planet’s gravity well. Otherwise, it was entirely possible that the vibrations from the cannons could rip the Falcon apart.

Leia had told him he should not push the parts he got for the Falcon so hard. But he enjoyed the way she got flustered and angry when she thought she was right-

“Captain Solo, Captain Solo,” Threepio said with his high pitched voice, as he entered the cockpit. Han forced himself to break away from any thoughts of Leia.

“Little busy,” Han snarled and looked down to his instrument panel. Three minutes till they broke atmosphere.

“Captain Solo,” the droid went right on talking like Han hadn’t said anything “R2 wished to inform you that according to his calculations the base has been destroyed by now.”

“Well that’s nice to know,” he snapped, “but as you can see, we’ve got new problems.” He leaned back as far as he could in his chair and shouted, “This is about to get very bumpy! Strap yourselves in.” He heard the shuffling as various people sat, or moved to better positions. Praying Rex had Leia strapped in, Han executed a barrel roll. Again, there were screams from the back.

“Oh, my!” Threepio shouted, and he heard the clatter as the droid fell to the floor.

“Got one!” Luke shouted over the comm system.

“I’ve taken out two,” the old man followed up with. Who knew? The man had skills.

“Captain Solo!” the droid screeched, pushing himself upright.

Han’s temple began to throb “If you don’t have anything useful to say, then get out.” They still had two of those little suckers out there trying to kill them. And they were annoyingly not coming any closer, narrowing the Falcon’s ability to get a clear shot. The TIE’s didn’t share that problem. Their shielding was crap, but the weapons they were armed with had a much longer range than the Falcon’s.

“Chewie, throw all the power into the rear deflector shields.”

“Captain Solo!” Threepio said with as much wounded dignity as a droid could muster, “R2 believes that the rest of the TIE’s were still on the base, once you destroy these, we will have no one else following us.”

 _If_ they destroyed these. Han looked at the distance between them and the Falcon and did a set of quick calculations. “That was helpful, now get out!”

“But-!”

“I’m about to do something very stupid,” he shouted at Luke and Obi-Wan, “Get ready!”

<Han what-> but he didn’t give Chewie a chance to ask. Leaning forward Han cut the engines.

The Falcon’s perpetual hum of power abruptly stopped. They were still moving forward. It would take several seconds for them to slow down. A few more after that for them to enter into a freefall.

Han counted under his breath “One, two, three,” Given the top speed of a TIE fighter versus how fast the Falcon was going. How long it would take the Falcon to slow down, how long before her arch began to dip back into the planet’s gravity, it was all math.  He watched his sensor display, those two little dots still moving, not realizing what he had done yet.

“Five, Six,” he went on, hand on the start toggle.

It was all math. And a helluva lot of luck.

“We’re doomed!!!” Threepio cried out.

“Eight, nine.” and then he punched the engines back to full power, praying he just hadn't killed them all with this little stunt. The modifications he made to his baby made it powerful, but very temperamental.

The Falcon’s engines _roared,_ and Han could see one of those little dots disappear on his display.

“Got one!” Luke said.

“One more to go,” Han muttered to himself, but then what? They break atmosphere and had nowhere to go but Yavin. Every medical center Han knew wasn’t a place he could take Leia. She would be spotted within minutes of being admitted. That bounty on her was too high for people to pass up.

“By the Maker!” Threepio said directly in his ear. Han winced as the droids voice seemed to pierce his head. “In all my years of service I have never been subjected to-”

“I told you to get out!” Han shouted back. He just needed a few quiet seconds to think. If he ever met Threepio’s creator he was going to shoot them dead. Who thought it was a good idea to leash that droid on the galaxy?

Threepio huffed under his breath and pouted “All I wish to be is of service,” he said, moving towards the cockpit door, “Nobody here takes me seriously. Nobody on the Yavin base does. Nobody in the fleet-”

The fleet. The goddamn _fleet_ , that wasn’t near Yavin and could be re-routed. The fleet with its very own medical frigate. “No wait!” he shouted behind him “Goldenrod, get back in here. I need the Alliance base on the line. We need to get to the fleet.

“Why?” Luke’s voice was panicked. Great, now he was down to one cannon, Luke wasn’t going to be able to focus after hearing this.

“Because if Chewie's right, Leia will die before we ever reach Yavin,” Han said, flipping controls to open a hyperspace com link.

There was dead silence, both in the cockpit and on the comms.

Threepio re-appeared in the corner of his eyes “What service do you need of me Captain Solo?” he asked, voice surprisingly firm.

For once the droid wasn’t spitting out statistical odds. Which was fortunate for him because Han would have Chewie rip his head off if he had. “I need you to convince Alliance command to reroute the fleet. Or tell us where the fleet is. Either way, we need that medical frigate.”

Threepio backed away immediately and put himself in the passenger seat behind Han. He flicked open the comm station there, “Rebel base, Rebel Base, this is Protocol droid C3-PO. Do you read?”

A static voice answered back “This is Sergeant Gaffers, who is this?”

“This is C3-PO, protocol droid to their Majesties of Alderaan, and it is of the utmost urgency that-” Han didn’t pay attention as the droid aimed his prissy attitude at someone else for a change. That last fighter had come up below them. He had to focus on that.

He was about to flip the Falcon again, to give Obi-Wan the shot, when Luke cried out “I got it!”

“Great!” he said.

“I’m going to see to -”

“You will stay where you are until we reach hyperspace Luke,” Obi-Wan’s voice was cold and imperious. He didn't sound anything like the crazy old hermit that he pretended to be. Hearing that voice, Han could finally see the legend who had commanded thousands during the Clone Wars.

Han looked out the viewport and to his relief saw that the sky was becoming darker. They were in the upper atmosphere now.

He focused back in on the conversation behind him “I repeat, what is the location of the Rebel fleet?” Threepio was practically wailing.

“I want to speak to an organic.” Sergeant whoever repeated, pissed. Han could understand his frustration with the droid, but right now was not the time to get into a pissing match.

“All the crew is busy. We request the location of the medical frigate. We are still on the target planet, but we have injured.”

“Status of your commanding officer?” that voice asked again.

Han didn’t have time for this bureaucratic nonsense. Leia didn’t have time.“This is Captain Solo of the Millenium Falcon. And I have Princess Leia of Alderaan bleeding out all over my ship!” Han snarled, “Now tell me where the hell that frigate is!”

“Uhh…” that voice was full of panic now, “that's above-”

Luke’s voice dropped and menace was in every word “This is Lt. Skywalker. If you can’t do it, get me someone who can.”

Han shivered in his seat. That was a voice that promised death if it wasn’t obeyed. Where the hell had that come from?

“Oh, my!” Threepio wailed. Well, the calm droid was nice while it lasted. Han looked out the viewscreen to see what the droid was complaining about now. There were three Star Destroyers sitting in orbit.

Han felt his blood run cold. Who the hell went anywhere with three destroyers? Did Vader go everywhere expecting a war?

The three behemoths immediately spotted them and began to turn, trying to flank them.

“Chewie! The shields!”  Han cried out.

<On it!>

Chewie immediately threw all power in the forward shields, and Han began speeding up to as fast as he could make the Falcon fly. He needed to be able to get around these ships without getting close enough for the tractor beam to get a lock.

“Well, this should be fun,” he muttered under his breath. “I am definitely not being paid enough to deal with this.”

All three Destroyers opened fire, and Han spent the next few moments flying the Falcon in evasive maneuvers.

<Where are the TIE’s?> Chewie asked.

“Excuse me?”

<Where are the TIE’s? They haven’t deployed them.>

Han frowned. He was a gambling man, but even he couldn’t begin to hazard a guess as to why they hadn’t been deployed.  The shot’s that came barreling past them caught his attention. Wait…

They were going wide. All of them. Han started to fly straight, and again, none of the shots were even coming close.

“What?” Han asked.

<They’re trying to herd us.> Chewie said, peering at the lasers as they sped past.

“Herd us?”

Chewie gave him a flat stare. <If you had ever gone hunting a day in your life, you would see that was what they are doing.> He shook his head, indignant.

Han ignored that. “Why?”

<Trying to move us into the path of the tractor beams.> The Wookie shook his head.

Han scowled “Yes, figured that out. I meant why bother with that? Why not try to blow us out of the sky?”

Obi-Wan’s voice was dark and ominous “Vader told them Leia is on this ship.”

“He’s not dead!” Han howled. What did it take to kill him? An exploding base wasn't enough?

“No,” Luke and Obi-Wan answered in unison.

Well wasn’t that fantastic? All that work and the bastard was still alive. And what the hell did Vader want with Leia anyway? Han felt his stomach clench. He couldn’t even begin to guess at the answer. None of this made any sense.  

Then that voice, with all its frosty politeness, that scared him a hell of a lot more than Vader, came over his speakers. “Captain Solo?”

Han immediately sat up straighter. He couldn’t help it. Every time Senator Organa came near him all he wanted to do was stand straight, shut his mouth, and try to be invisible. It was like being in the academy all over again, hoping that the instructors wouldn’t notice you. “Sir?”

Bail’s voice never wavered, not once, as he said “What are Leia’s injuries?”

“She was shot in the back.”

There was the briefest of pauses, then “I will pass that information along. Jump to the Cvetaen system. The medical frigate will meet you there.”

“Chewie!!”

<Don’t teach your mother how to hunt Han,> the Wookie snarled back as he punched in the coordinates. <I’m sitting right here, I heard him.>

Han muttered under his breath, “C’mon, C’mon” at the navicomputer. He didn't like this. He was trusting that Senator Organa knew what he was doing. Scratch that thought. Han held nothing but fear for the man, but he didn’t think a Senator would know how to calculate jump points that quickly, if at all. He was trusting that whoever Senator Organa had ordered to do this knew what they were doing. Han didn’t like relying on strangers at the best of times, but with Leia’s life on the line, these were odds he didn’t like.

What choice did he have? They couldn’t go to Yavin, and this whole crazy thing had been his plan. He looked at those Star Destroyers, bearing down on them.

Vader wanted her alive. Han didn’t understand why, and he didn’t believe Leia’s protests that she didn’t either, but Vader was not someone to be disobeyed. If he surrendered now, they might get medical help for her aboard those ships.

He could care less about his fate, or Kenobi’s and Rex. He felt a flicker of guilt at the thought of all those slaves they had just rescued. If the Empire was merciful, and when had that ever happened, they would only be executed. But their lives weren’t worth Leia’s. He wasn’t about to let Leia die for them. He didn't care what she would say otherwise. And she would, loudly. Hmmm, maybe he would be dead by that point and could skip that particular lecture.

His eyes flicked to his side. But there was the issue of Chewie. The Wookie had made it very clear long ago that he would rather die, than be taken back into slavery. To say nothing of what the Empire would do to Luke. Han had heard enough rumors of what happened to Force-sensitives to be aware that death would be the kinder option for Luke rather than capture.

The control panel started beeping. <Got it!!> Chewie roared.

Problem solved then. Han hit the toggle, and the stars sped past them.

 

As soon as they were safely in hyperspace, Han ran into the back.

“Excuse me, excuse me,” he muttered, pushing past the scared, frightened, and very smelly people.

He found Leia laid out on the floor. Luke was gently removing the straps Rex had used to attach her to the grated portion of the floor.

“Could you have flown any crazier?” the clone demanded, laying a bacta strip across Leia’s back, trying to work it around the shrapnel still embedded there. Han swallowed hard, throat suddenly dry with his fear. If anything Chewie had downplayed how much time Leia had.

“Thirty minutes till we get there,” he told the clone, eyes fixed on that back. Rex had cleaned most of the blood away, but there were still smears of it left. The wound was still bleeding, but not it was sluggish. What he could see of he back was covered in bruising around the entry point of the wound.

“Good,” Rex grunted.

Han sank to the ground beside Leia, the blood rushing in his ears. She was so pale….

“Captain Solo,” Kenobi said. Han looked up, slightly dazed. “Did you hear me?” the man asked. What a stupid question. Of course, Han hadn’t heard him. “Where are we meeting the fleet?” he asked again.

“The Cvetaen system,” he said, then returned his gaze to Leia’s face. Luke was sitting by her head, worriedly stroking her hair, murmuring something under his breath. Han’s stomach clenched at the easy familiarity the Kid had with touching Leia. Or maybe at the sight of the tears in Luke's eyes. Han's gaze slid away from something so personal.

He kept his eyes framed right on her face, tracking each shallow breath she took in. Her face was a sickly grey color, and Rex had placed a breathing mask over it to help her breath. Those dark brown were closed, and she looked so still. Leia was never still. There was always something going on on her face, or in her eyes. That sharp mind of hers always whirling.

Han could have sworn that only a few seconds passed, maybe a minute, till a voice tried to get his attention.  

<Han.>

Han looked up at Chewie's concerned face “What?” he barked.

Chewie was kneeling beside him, <The proximity alarm Han,> Han only stared at him blankly, <It went off,> he said gently.

Han blinked, that couldn’t be right. He couldn't have been sitting here for that long.

Seeing his unease Chewie offered <Unless you want me to->

“No,” he said, giving one last look at Leia, then forcing himself to stand, “I got it.”

When they jumped out of hyperspace he was greeted by the sight of the medical frigate, surrounded by the entire fleet. Yep, Bail Organa was not someone who messed around.

“ _Millenium Falcon_ ” a voice said. “ _Millenium Falcon_ please respond.”

“This is the _Millenium Falcon_ ,” Han replied.

“ _Millenium Falcon_ this is _The Hope_. Our hangar bay doors are open. Come on in, we don’t have much time before we are spotted.”

“We are heading in,” he confirmed.

“Status of the Princess?” the voice asked.

Han flew his way to the frigate “One blaster shot to the back. Possible complications due to the armor shattering. We also have about twenty to thirty sentients aboard, in various states of health.”

There was a pause as Han initiated the docking sequence. “Understood.” the voice said “We have a medical bed waiting in the hanger bay for the Princess. There is a team prepped and ready for her in medical bay twelve. We weren’t informed of any other additions to that. Does anyone in that group need immediate medical attention?”

“Not as far as I know.”

“I’ll pass it up the chain of command. In the meanwhile, please keep them on your ship.”

Han parked in the bay and raced to the back, determined to carry Leia to the waiting transport.

Kenobi and Luke were already on their feet, and Leia was floating between them. What the hell did they think they were doing with her? Now was not the time to show off their freaky powers. But before he could demand what was going on Kenobi shouted “Where?”

“What?” he said, trying to understand what was going on.

“What infirmary Captain?” Obi-Wan’s face was pale, and those normally friendly eyes were nothing but icy fire now.

“Twelve,” he said automatically, and in the next blink, Obi-Wan and Leia were gone.

He gaped at the empty air for a moment. “Kid?” he asked.

Luke shrugged, “He’s better at doing two things at once.” He shot Han an apologetic look and then he too was a blur of speed.

“Uhhh.” Han managed. Useful, but creepy as hell to watch.

“Never did get used to that,” a voice said tiredly from the floor.

Han looked down to see Rex sitting on the floor, packing away the medical supplies.

“There’s a bed with med staff waiting at the end of the gangplank,” Han said uselessly.

Rex snorted “The General will have her there faster than they could,” He gave a tired sigh as he looked around him at the mess of used bandages, and open packages. The man looked up at him “Not that you are going to remember, but you need to restock this. I went through almost all your supplies. I didn’t think you would mind.”

“How? What?” Han was still trying to wrap his mind around what had just happened.

Rex ignored him and stood. He walked to the hatch leading to the gangplank. Sticking his head out he shouted “All you people standing there uselessly, she’s already at the med bay. So move your asses and get up here and be useful. We have people who need tending.”

He turned to face Han “Twelve is on this level,” Rex said conversationally, “You exit the hanger bay and go down the first hallway to your right.”

Han looked at him, then he looked at the crowd of people who were still standing and sitting in the Falcon. There were maybe thirty of them, and all of them were in various states of shock. Han should probably do something. He was the captain, this was his ship. They were his responsibility. Weren’t they?

<Go to the infirmary Han,> Chewie said behind him <Rex and I will take care of them.>

Han opened his mouth to protest, then snapped it shut. The only thing he knew what to do with ex-slaves was to make them his co-pilot. He was out of his depth, and he knew it.

Without another word to anyone, he walked down the ramp, heading towards the back of the hanger bay.

 

He arrived to chaos. He couldn’t see Leia, but there was a flock of people who were all standing around a bed, so he assumed that was where she was.

He marched over, intending to demand answers, when a firm arm on his elbow stopped him. “Let them work Captain,” Kenobi said.

“But-”

“They need to assess the damage, and you will only get in their way.” Han felt Kenobi tug him gently. He was leading him to a set of chairs at the front of the infirmary. Luke was already sitting in one of them, looking grey and twenty years older.

He turned to Kenobi “When will we know anything?”

The old man’s face relaxed “Probably in a few minutes.”

Han sat down next to Luke and tried to get his mind to start working rather than reacting.

This med bay was a nightmare. Han hated infirmaries. You never went to one for a good reason. His ma certainly hadn't. She had died in one.

After a few minutes, one of the flock of people came over. He was a Mon Calamari, about Han’s height, and his skin was a dull grey color. He looked over at Han and Luke, with his wide eyes, set so far apart on his face, but approached Kenobi. He spoke loudly enough for all of them to hear him though.

“My name is Jamok,” he said bluntly “We’ve finished the assessment of Her HIghness. We are going to begin her surgery shortly. You can stay here if you wish, to wait for her. I warn you though it will be awhile.” The guy’s bedside manner could use a little work.

Obi-Wan nodded, ‘I understand. Is there anything else you can tell us?”

He shook his head “Patient confidentiality. Unless you are family, there is nothing more I can tell you.”

Beside him, Luke drew in a sharp breath, and he opened his mouth to protest. Han was right there with him. Here and now, he and the Kid were all the family Leia had.

Kenobi shot Luke a quelling look, and the Kid gave him a defiant one in return. Kenobi merely arched an eyebrow, and then Luke slumped into his seat, defeated. What the hell?

“I understand,” Kenobi said to the healer “If I contact her father, and he gives permission, then you can let us know?”

“If he is her medical proxy, then certainly.” There was a great deal of hustle and Jeran?, Jera? looked back “Excuse me, I need to prep for the surgery.” And he peeled off in a very big hurry.

Han waited until he was out of earshot and muttered “Why don’t they have droids for this?”

“They do. But it’s best to have both. Things can go wrong and droids are not very good at creative thinking.” Han frowned. Sounded like the old man had learned that lesson the hard way. Probably during the Clone Wars. If that was true, points to the Rebellion for a lesson learned. In the Empire, except for the highest elite, all med staff were droids.

Kenobi turned to the two of them. “I will use the com to inform Bail, meanwhile you two need to eat, shower, and get some sleep.”

Han’s mind came into focus at that “The hell I’m leaving her alone.”

Kenobi's voice was gentle, “The surgery is going to last hours. I will stay here with her.”

Han jutted his chin out and crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m not leaving.”

“Han,” Obi-Wan said softly, and Han flinched at the sound of his first name. Obi-wan came forward and knelt so that they were face to face “Are you aware you still have her blood on your hands?”

Han looked down and pulled his hands out in front of him to see. He gave a long slow blink to counteract the sudden burning in his eyes. The blood had dried to a sickly looking brown “I-” he started to say and began shivering.

Luke’s arm came up and wrapped around his shoulder “Easy,” he murmured. “Take it easy Han.” Han shivered again. “How about I go with you?” Luke offered “I need to eat too, and I’m not that steady on my feet either.”

Han opened his mouth to protest but Luke cut him off “We’ll come back here to sleep.”

Han nodded and looked down at his hands again. Yes, getting rid of the blood was a good idea.

 

They were both right, damn them. After he had showered and eaten he did feel much better. Not at a hundred percent, but at least he could hold more than one thought in his head.

He and Luke came back to the infirmary, to find Kenobi sitting on the floor, legs crossed, hands resting on his knees. His eyes were closed.

Han was puzzled, but Luke said softly “He’s meditating.”

“Yes,” the old man answer, “but not deeply.” His eyes flickered open, but he didn't move to a more comfortable position. “I’ve contacted Bail. He is her medical proxy, and has given the staff here permission to keep us updated.”

Han sank back into one of the chairs “Well, that’s good.”

“Hmmm,” the old man said, “Unfortunately there isn’t much to tell at this point.”

Han’s eyes flickered to the back of the bay, where there was an opaque screen blocking his view. “But no problems.”

“No,” the old man said. He stared at Han for a long moment, “We’ve entered hyperspace, we are heading back to Yavin.””

Han nodded, trying not to take offense. Sure he had been walking around like a drunken fool for the last few hours, but he wasn’t that out of it. He knew the feel of a ship as it made the jump to hyperspace.”

Luke sat next to him “And what happens when we get there?”

“Depends on where Leia is in her surgery. They can’t keep the entire fleet in orbit around Yavin for too long.”

Yes, they damn well could. And if Han couldn’t get it to happen, then he was sure Organa sure as hell could. But before he could voice that thought, Rex and Chewie, followed by the droids walked in. Spotting them, the whole gang came over.

“Status?” Obi-Wan asked.

“The prisoners-” Rex started

“Slaves,” Luke corrected.

“Slaves,” Rex switched to, “have all been settled General.”

Han could care less but Luke asked “Where?”

<About half required serious medical attention,> Chewie said <They are in med bay 6, two floors up. The rest are scattered among the various observation rooms to be monitored.>

“Why?” Luke’s voice was sharp and demanding after Threepio translated.

<Because malnutrition isn’t considered an acute condition, but they will need to be watched closely,> Chewie said patiently <And the healers are concerned they might pick up any number of illness from the crew.>

Luke relaxed marginally when he realized the slaves weren’t being treated as hostile. “Because they can’t be given vaccines yet.”

<No, they can’t,> Chewie waited until C3-PO finish his translation before giving Luke a soft swap across the back of his head. <Even if the Alliance hadn’t dealt with this before, I have.>

Luke looked up at the tall Wookie and shame crossed his face. “I’m sorry,” he started to say.  “I-”

Chewie cut him off with a soft growl. <It’s alright,> He looked to the back room <I understand that you had other things on your mind.>

 

Han must have drifted off to sleep, because the next thing he knew there was a soft voice saying “Knight Kenobi?”

Han jerked his head up, from where he had it resting on Luke’s shoulder. Luke was asleep too, his head leaning against the wall.

“Kid,” he muttered, shaking the shoulder he had just been resting on.

“Huh?” Luke’s eyes came open slowly. “What?”

Han turned to face the Healer and their motley crew. Kenobi was still sitting on the ground, cross-legged, Chewie stretched out in front of the chairs, snoring softly. Han leaned forward and gave the Wookie a soft shake of the shoulder. Chewie grunted and pulled himself up. The droids were both standing in the corner. Rex was leaning against the wall, still awake, and keeping watch. For what? Did the clone really think they were going to be attacked?

Obi-Wan stiffly rose to his feet. “Yes Healer Jamok?” he asked.

The Mon Camarian let out a deep sigh. “Her Highness has pulled through. We have successfully removed the fragments from her back and repaired the multiple lacerations on her back. We also have successfully repaired her collapsed lung, and the extensive internal bleeding.”

“Any permanent damage?” Luke asked, voice still groggy with sleep.

The healer shook his head, “No, none that we could see. She has two broken ribs, and fractured shoulder blade from the heat stress, but nothing penetrated her spine. She will require extensive physical therapy though, to repair the muscles damaged along her back and shoulder. Barring any complications to the healing process, she has a good chance of making a full recovery.”

Han let out a sigh of relief, “Can we see her?”

The healer nodded his head “Yes, if you wish.”

Rex growled, “You haven’t moved her to the bacta tank?”

“We are worried about infection,” the Healer allowed. “But we can’t stay in orbit around Yavin long enough for the time she needs in the tank. Since we are so close to the base we thought it was best to wait. It would be infinitely riskier to submerge her, only to have to remove her from it again so shortly.” Rex took a menacing step forward and the healer hastily added “She has been placed in a medical coma. I assure you we took all necessary precautions. The delay of an hour shouldn’t be all that detrimental.”

“Shouldn’t?” Han demanded.

Obi-Wan put up a steadying hand. “If you don’t mind Healer Jamok I would like to try something.”

The Healer cocked his head, confused. Then his eyes went very wide. “With the Force?” he asked almost reverently. What was with these people and their worship of the Jedi?

Kenobi nodded.

The Healer's large eyes blinked very rapidly, “It will not interfere with the drugs she is on?” he asked hesitantly.

“No,” Kenobi said, but didn’t explain anything else.

“Then by all means.” The healer bowed, actually _bowed_ , to Kenobi. Han felt like he had fallen into a cheesy holo drama. “She is on the last bed in the back.”

“Thank you,” Kenobi said pleasantly.

Luke didn’t even wait, he took off in a blur of motion, heading to the back. Cheater. Han got hastily to his feet and ran towards the back, aware the others were following behind him.

Han got there in time to see Luke place a gentle kiss on her brow. His stomach twisted at that easy motion. He knew the two of them were close. But it was one thing to know that and another to _see_ it.  Leia wasn’t much for touch. Han had noticed that she would flinch every time someone would reach out and touch her. Not a lot, but it was there. Hell, she even did it with her parents.

But not Luke. Luke, who acted like he had every right to stand by her side. Han swallowed and positioned himself in the corner. It was no use in getting jealous. There wasn’t anything to be jealous of, he tried to tell himself. So she liked the Kid. Luke was very likable. Scary as hell sometimes, as this mission had shown, but likable. Han even liked him, and Han generally didn’t like people.

Kenobi came to her other side. He beckoned and a chair came floating over, landing it with a small thump behind him. It creeped Han out when he pulled crap like that. Then he moved the sheet covering her back, pulling it down to expose the skin.

“Hey,” Han protested, starting to move forward.

Rex grabbed him, “No, it’s alright. He needs skin to skin contact for this to work.”

“For what to work?” Han demanded.

“To help her with the Force,” Kenobi said as he sat down and laid a gentle hand on Leia’s right shoulder. The one without the wound. He closed his eyes and Han looked. Nothing happened.

“There is nothing to see,” Rex said, watching Han’s face carefully. “This isn’t one of the flashier things. And Obi-Wan isn’t trained as a healer.”

“He’s doing something,” Luke said, looking at Kenobi with something like awe “I can feel it.” He gently brought his own chair over, much more wobbly then Kenobi, and sat in it. He grabbed Leia’s hand and closed his eyes. What the hell was the Kid trying to do?

So they had entered the weird mythical mumbo-jumbo portion of their evening. Great. He had no idea what the old man was trying to do, but Luke didn’t think it was a threat to Leia. So Han sat down on the floor to wait, wishing he had grabbed Leia’s hand first.

This strange silence went on for about ten minutes until Luke abruptly got up and stalked out of the room.

“Kid?” Han asked.

“I need a minute,” he said, not even bothering to turn around.

“Luke you would do more harm than good,” Obi-Wan said reproachfully, his eyes opening to look at Luke’s retreating back.

Luke stopped and turned around. “So you said,” the kid snarled, and wait what? When had there been any talking?  “But I don’t agree. She would never harm me.”

“Willingly? No. But the risk is too great that she won’t know it’s you.”

What the hell were they talking about? He shot a look at Rex, but the clone had a closed set look to his face. Han was very tired of everyone talking about things he didn’t understand.

Luke flushed in anger, “You should have more faith in her,” then he stomped out of the room.  

He looked at Rex, who only shook his head. “Jedi,” he offered. Like that explained anything.

Han did use the opportunity to steal Luke’s spot next to Leia and gently grab her hand. He might not have access to a mystical energy thingy, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t offer support the old fashioned way.

 

The flight from the medical frigate to the base was a bit longer than necessary. Han didn’t want to push it, any bump or disturbance could cause Leia pain, and those stabilizers worried him. Sure she was drugged out of her mind. But he wasn’t going to be responsible for one setback in her recovery. He was going to err on the side of caution.

When they landed he was put out to see they had already shoved the med-bed out into the main floor. Senator Organa and Queen Breha already there by Leia’s side, conversing with the medical droid that was pushing the bed.

Han watched them disappear into the recess of the back of the hanger heading for the medical bay.

A hand grabbed his arm “C’mon” Luke said roughly pulling him along.

“That’s not my place.” Han protested.

Luke’s mouth tightened “Yes it is. And if anyone says otherwise you send them my way.”

This wasn’t Luke’s place either, but Han wasn’t about to tell him that. Not with that look on his face. Again with the killing mood. The Kid had unexpected depths. Organa was going to flay Han alive, but right at this moment, Han could care less.

He obediently trotted behind Luke.

 

When he and Luke entered the med bay, Han spotted Bail and Breha were talking to some tall red-headed man. The Healer probably. He looked around and spotted the droids, slowly lowering Leia’s limp form into the bacta tank.

She looked so small. Han forgot that about her sometimes. She spent so much time in his face, he had a tendency to forget that she was a foot shorter than him. Wrapped in a soft white fabric of some kind, her face obscured by the breathing mask, she didn't look at all like Leia. The only part of her that was familiar was the braids. They had come loose from the coil she had them in and were floating around her head as she entered the bacta. Han didn’t know much about taking care of long hair, but he had a feeling that was going to be a bitch to untangle.

“Luke!” Organa called out and Luke went over, his hand still gripped on Han’s elbow, dragging him along. Senator Organa gave an unimpressed look. “And Captain Solo,” he said.

“Sir,” he offered, warily, coming up beside Luke. The Kid gave Organa a challenging look, and the Senator’s face closed off. Satisfied, Luke dropped the hand on Han’s elbow. So Luke won that round on his presence. Han didn’t know _how_ Luke had won it, but he wasn’t going to question it.

“How long will she be in the tank?” At that question, Han looked over to Her Majesty. Her face was pale, but other then that she looked like a statue for all the emotion Han could see.

“About three days,” the Healer said.

Organa closed his eyes. “Why so long?” he asked. Han sent another worried look at the tank. He had no idea what was or wasn’t a long stay, but if Organa was worried, then he was worried.

“We are concerned about infection,” he heard the Healer explain “But it’s more to give the skin that was grafted into her back time to heal.”

“Is she sedated?” Luke said.

“No, we still have her in a medical coma. It’s safer for her. Three days under sedation is not the best idea.”

“How close did she come to dying?” Organa asked flatly.

The Healer looked at them and gently said “If she had received treatment even an hour later, there is nothing we could have done for her.” Han felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up at that.

Organa hissed through his teeth, and Han swung his head back to look at the man. “We should never have let her go on that mission. We should have forbid her to even step foot on that planet!”

Had the man met his daughter? Telling Leia what to do was like arguing with a storm. Han knew that, and he had just met her a few months ago. It’s why he agreed to go. He knew that as soon as the words ‘destroyed weapon factory’ came up she was going. Her and Luke. The two of them were the most idealistic pig-headed people he had ever had the misfortune to meet. It would never occur to them that they couldn't do it. Han had gone to make sure they came back in one piece.

 _“Yes, and what a good job you did on that.”_ he thought bitterly.

There was a soft touch on his arm breaking into his thoughts.  

“Captain Solo?” a feminine voice asked.

He turned his gaze down to face Leia’s mother.

“Just Han, ma’am,” he said hoarsely.

“Han,” she agreed, “You called for the re-routing of the Fleet?”

“Well, C3-PO-” he started to say.

She cut him off “It was your idea.” she said firmly.

He swallowed hard and nodded.

He suddenly had a very warm body clutching him in his arms. Helpless he looked at Luke, who mouthed “Hug her back.”

Glancing at the Senator, whose frosty look didn’t speak well of that idea, he settled for patting her back awkwardly.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”

“Sure,” he said. “Not a problem.” She withdrew at that, and Han thanked every god in the galaxy that her face was dry. He never knew what to do with a crying woman.

“Yes Captain Solo,” Bail said, as his wife went back over to him, and took his hand. “We are most grateful.”

Han wasn’t stupid enough to believe that for a second.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t have done more,” he said, eyes returning to the tank.

“Like what?” Luke asked exasperatedly, running his hands through his hair “Told her not to go? Told her, and me, to leave the slaves behind?” He snorted “Leia is Leia, there is no stopping her when she’s on the warpath.”

“I could have least re-braided her hair.” Han said “That’s going to be a mess when she gets out.”

Her Majesty let out a long shocked breath and Han turned, wondering what was wrong. Organa’s face was tight with anger and fury, and he looked like he was about to hit Han.

Han took a step back, unsure of what he had said, when Luke stepped in front of him. “Thank you for keeping us up to date your Majesties,” he said, bowing to both of them. “But I think Han and I should rest now. We will be back in a few hours.”

Organa still wasn’t saying anything, but Her Majesty’s face lost it’s shocked look and resumed it’s normal placid mask “Please do Luke, and you as well Han.” she said.

Luke hurriedly pulled Han away from them, herding him out of the bay. “I’m really glad you didn’t,” he whispered, as soon as they were out of earshot.

‘Didn’t what?” Han demanded, “What the hell did I say to get them so pissed?”

“Alderaan’s have a thing about their hair.” Then a look crossed his face and he corrected to “At least the nobles do. I have no idea about Alderaan’s in general. Only family and spouses are allowed to touch it, or even see it down.”

Han opened his mouth to protest that couldn't be true, but no, he had never seen Leia with her hair down. She always had in a braid of some sort. Practical styles, nothing like her mothers, but up. Not that he hadn’t imagined what all that hair would look like, as he combed his fingers through it.

Luke had a look on his face like he knew where Han’s mind had gone, and quickly Han said, “That’s crazy. You’re telling me Queen Breha does all those fancy hairstyles on her own?”

Luke looked thoughtful “Well, there are some servants or companions who are allowed to do that, but only the ones who have been in a families service for a long time.”

“Okay,” Han said. “So a minor faux pas?”

Luke shook his head “No, not minor.” He looked thoughtful for a second. “The closest equivalent I can think of would be sharing where their water hole is in the desert.”

Han stopped. No, he had not grown up on Tatooine but he was more than familiar with how the natives guarded the secrets of water that wasn’t pulled through a ventilator. “So, not minor,” he said.

Luke shook his head, “No, not minor.”

As if Han needed any more proof from the galaxy that Leia was well beyond his reach. He couldn’t even manage to get the basics of Alderaan politeness down. What use would he be to someone who was a diplomat and a leader like Leia?

 

ABA - Day 56

 

“It’s been two days,” Luke’s voice floated to him “And you haven’t been to see her,” His tone was accusatory.

Han popped his head out of the maintenance pit, where he had been working on the stabilizers “What?” he said.

“I said you haven't been to see her,” Luke repeated. His arms came across his chest, looking like he wanted to start a fight. ““Why?”

“She doesn’t know I’m not there.” He shot back. “What difference does it make?”

“You don't know that,” Luke said.

Han pulled himself out the pit, and stretched to his full height, trying to get Luke to back down. Luke’s eyes only narrowed and his chin jutted out in stubbornness. Right, the Kid had no sense of self-preservation. “Yes, I do. That’s what medical coma means, remember?” He started to head to the cockpit, and Luke stepped into his path.

“Why?” he repeated

“I don't like infirmaries,” he said, trying to sidestep the Kid.

Luke pulled one of those blurry movements and got in his way again. “Try again.”

“That’s cheating,” Han whined.

“So?”

Han sighed, “I really don’t like infirmaries Kid. They give me the creeps.”

Luke’s face softened, “Spend a lot of time in one?”

“My ma,” Han said flatly “For all the good it did her.”

“I’m sorry.”

Han shrugged “It was a long time ago.”

Luke look at him, those blue eyes studying him hard. Han squirmed and once more tried to get around him.

“That’s not everything,” Luke said.

“Why do you care?” Han huffed, irritated. If anyone should want him far away from Leia, it should be Luke.

Luke gave him an openly puzzled look “Because she would. She would want you there.” This, this was why Luke was so much better for Leia then Han. It never even occurred to Luke to worry about Han’s presence.

“You’re a better man than I,” he said.

Sorrow passed over the Kid’s face, and he shook his head. “I’m really not.”

“Besides,” Han said, trying to lighten the mood “Who says she even wants me there?”

Luke’s face grew horrified “It’s not your fault she is there Han,”

Han sneered “I don’t need you to deny the obvious Kid. I should have-”

“Should have what Han? Seen the future? Somehow known that shot was coming?”

Why not? Han wondered. She had. But that was one of the many secrets around Leia, and Han had no idea how many of them Luke was privy to. He had already stepped into it with Organa, saying things he shouldn’t. No need to make the same mistake twice in less than a week.

“You should go see her Han,” Luke said. “If only for your own piece of mind.”

“Going to drag me there again?”

Luke’s smile was sad “I don’t need to.”

 

Han stared morosely at the bacta tank. Ignoring the questioning looks by the medical staff he placed a hand on it.

“Fixed the stabilizers,’ he offered, knowing she couldn’t hear him. “I know how concerned you were about that.”

<It says something about you that you’ll only tell her she was right when she’s unconscious,> Chewie remarked drily from behind him.

Han nearly jumped out of his skin and whirled around to face his friend.

“Would you not sneak up on me like that!“

Chewie woofed <I was hardly sneaking Han.>

“What are you doing here?” Han demanded.

The Wookie shrugged <Nobody else could be. I promised Rex I would since you have been a no-show.>

Han waved his hand “Save it. I already got the lecture from Luke.”

<Hmph.> Chewie grunted.

“Still no change?” Han asked.

Chewie shook his head. <Banok says she needs to be in there for a least another day. But there have been no complications.>

“Who’s Banok?”

<The Healer Han. Which you would know if you had been here.>

Han winced, but he offered up no defense of his absence. He stared at Leia. He really didn’t like the fact that most of her face was blocked by that mask. But she looked peaceful enough from what he could see of her face.

<She’s strong, Han> the Wookie said gently <She’ll pull through this.>

“She shouldn’t have been there in the first place,” he said.

<That was her choice to make.>

“Well, it was the wrong one.”

<Not to her.>

“Oh, what do you know?” He huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. He studied Leia, then came to a decision. Even before he said it, he knew how crazy this was going to sound, but he needed to talk to someone about it. “She knew.”

<Pardon?>

“She knew that I was going to get shot.”

Chewie was silent for a very long moment, then asked hesitantly <How do you know that?>

“Because right before it happened, she looked at me like she had seen a ghost. Then she screamed ‘No,’ and threw herself in front of me..” Han shuddered as he recalled the feel of her body crashing into his. Then the feel of her convulsing in his arms as the shot hit her. Her wide pale face, as she looked up at him, puzzled.

<I’ll admit that’s strange->

“She knew,” Han insisted. “And that’s only the beginning of the secrets she’s keeping.”

<Han…>the Wookie said warningly.

“What?” he said, hissing through his teeth “I don't have a right to know about this?”

<No, you don’t>

“Why not?”

<Because that isn’t the type of love that Leia will stay for.>

Han froze at that.

<And you, pup, you desperately want her to stay.>

“I don’t know what you mean.” he stammered.

Chewie rolled his eyes at him <You are a very bad liar,> He turned his gaze from Han’s and looked at the tank <And she is a very good one.>

Han felt his back stiffen. “What do you mean? You think she’s just stringing me along?”

Chewie gently whacked him across the back of his head <Not everything is about your love life.>

“What love life?”

<Well if you were better at courting,> Chewie gave him a sharp grin.

“No offense pal, but I don’t think she would appreciate dead carcasses at her doorstep to prove I’m an adequate provider.”

<I don’t understand humans,> He whined. <That is a perfectly practical gift. It's much better than dead plants you can’t eat anyway.>

“Women like flowers.” Han protested.

<She would hit you with them if you tried to give them to her,> Chewie remarked. Then his expression sobered <I merely meant that she is a woman with many secrets. And she is very good at misdirecting you away from them.>

“What do you know that I don’t?” Han demanded.

Chewie only shook his head <Not a thing. She’s told me nothing.>

“Probably told Luke,” Han muttered bitterly. “He’s got one of those faces.”

<More than likely,> Chewie agreed. <And that’s my point. She told him. It was her choice. If you push someone like Leia, she is only going to push back. And hard.>

“So what do I do?”

<Wait. Let her come to you. She will.>

“How can you be so sure of that?”

Chewie just looked at him pityingly.

“What?” Han demanded.

<You are really bad at this.>

Tell him something he didn't know. “Well, yeah.”

<Han the woman literally threw herself in front of the line of fire for you. If that doesn’t prove to you that she has some deep feelings for you I don’t know what will.>

“Maybe,” Han allowed.

Chewie shook his head in exasperation. <I’ll leave you to your brooding then.> He tried to walk out the door and Han called out to him.

“She hasn’t told you anything, but you suspect something about her.”

Chewie paused by the door, <I’m not human>

“Hard to miss that pal.”

Chewie ignored him and went on <I’m two hundred years old, and for a Wookie, that’s a comfortable middle age. For all that you act like I can’t take care of myself ->

“You can’t.”

<I’m older than you. Relevant to our respective cultures and expected lifespans.>

“Yeah, so?”

The Wookie gave a long thoughtful gaze at the bacta tank <Sometimes when I’m talking to Leia, her eyes look older than her face.>

Han ran his hand through his hair in frustration. Chewie had been spending too much time with that old wizard. Now he was talking in riddles too. “What the hell does that mean?”

<It means Han, that sometimes I think she’s older than me.>

The Wookie, turned to leave, and Han called out. “I thought you promised Rex you would stay.”

<You're here,> Chewie said, <That’s enough for Rex. And if you leave before he gets here, I’ll tell him.>

Han shook his head and went back to staring at the tank. He should leave, this wasn’t his place. But now that he was actually looking at her, he found it hard to order his feet to move. And it wasn’t just the threat of Rex that made him stay either.

 

ABA - Day 58

 

Leia coming out of the tank turned out to be very anti-climatic. Han arrived just in time to see her being laid out on one of the beds, laying face down.

“Has she said anything?” he demanded to Luke.

Luke shook his head “She’s still in that coma.”

“Still?” Han demanded. “Why?”

“Because the human body isn’t like your ship,” that tall redhead said. So this must be the healer, Bakok?

“He didn’t mean anything by it, Healer Banok,” Luke said reassuringly. Han scowled at Luke, he most certainly did, and he didn't need Luke playing diplomat with him.

“Well, why didn’t you wait until she woke up to take her out of the tank?” Han said hotly.

Banok’s eyes narrowed “Because there are limits to how long she can safely be left in a bacta tank, and we have hit them. We’ve chosen to keep her in that coma for another two days to allow the skin to heal further.” He snorted “Unless you have a better understanding of the biology of the human body I suggest you keep your opinions to yourself.”

Before Han could respond, Her Majesty's voice cut through “And after those two days Healer Banok?”

Han gave a hard start, and realized that both Organas were in the room. He had been so focused on the sight of Leia free, that he completely overlooked them.

Banok’s mouth loosened a bit, “After that we take her off the drugs we’ve been using to keep her in that coma and allow her to come out of it naturally.”

“How long will that take?” Organa asked, shooting daggers at Han.

“Hard to tell,” Banok replied “Shouldn’t be more than three days, but she’s still going to be fairly groggy. We will be switching her to the heavy pain medication. She will probably be on that for at least five days.”

Breha straightened “I have no meetings this morning, I would like to stay with her.”

“Of course,” Banok said. “I’ll be moving her into a more private room shortly. I’ll make sure there is comfortable seating for you.” And he hustled away.

Luke gave Breha a tight smile. “I’m on rotation until evening shift. But I don’t have any duties tomorrow. I can stay then.”

She gave him a beautiful smile, “Of course Luke,”

“I don’t have any missions at all,” Han offered. ”Any shift you need covered I can do.”

Organa looked like he had just swallowed something nasty “How generous of you Captain,” he muttered.

Well, this was going to be an interesting week.

 

ABA - Day 62

 

Han walked into the infirmary to be confronted with the Organas hissing at each other. Han stopped in the door frame. Okay, this was awkward. He was just going to walk out, knock on the door frame, and pretend he hadn’t seen any of this.

“You had no right to keep something like that from me-” Her Majesty said, white-faced in her anger. The rest of the sentence was lost as Han turned around and walked a few steps back into the hallway. He took a deep breath in. He was dying of curiosity about what the hell was going on between the two of them. But he liked having all of his bones not broken, and he had a feeling Organa would order someone to hurt him if he knew Han had even seen as much as he had.

He thudded his feet loudly, then rapped his knuckles on the door frame, announcing his presence. When he walked into the room the couple were no longer arguing, but they weren’t standing next to each other either.

“Here for my turn,” he said in the awkward silence.

Her Majesty turned to face him, a polite smile of greeting on her lips. “Han,” she said warmly. “Leia woke up for a few moments,” she told him.

Han felt a smile break out on his face. “Really?”

She nodded. “Yes. She was a bit disoriented, but she did recognize us.”

Bail muttered something under his breath, and his wife shot him a cool look.

Han, shifting awkwardly on his feet offered “That’s great.”

She nodded, “Yes, it is.”

Han flicked his eyes to Organa, then back to her Majesty. He hadn’t the first clue on what to say here.

“Well, I have an early meeting tomorrow,” she said brightly, “and I best be getting to bed.”

“Breha,” Organa said ‘Are you sure it’s wise to leave the Captain here? As you said Leia is disoriented. Who knows what will happen?”

Han scowled at Bail. He wasn’t a threat to Leia in any way. Hadn't he proven that over the last few days? He wasn’t a good man, but he did try to be a decent one. Just what the hell did the man think he was going to do to an unconscious woman?

“It will be fine,” Her Majesty said firmly. Leia had learned her glare from this woman. It wasn’t even directed at Han and he wanted to slink away.

“I’m staying here,” Bail said firmly.

“Yes, I’m sure you will do what you think is best,” his wife told him. “You always do.” And with great dignity, she swept out of the room.

Unsure of how this all related to whatever the hell they had been fighting about, Han made his way cautiously to the chair by Leia’s bed.

Organa continued to glare at him in stony silence. Finally, the man spat out “Why you?”

“Excuse me?” Han said blankly.

“Why does my daughter seem to think you are worth it?”

That was a question Han had been asking himself over the last few days. “I don’t know,’ he said meekly.

The man crossed his arms over his chest “Leia is special.”

Well, he wasn’t going to get an argument from Han on that point. “Yes.”

“And you aren’t.” The thing was, there really wasn’t any malice in the man’s tone. Just a resigned bafflement.

“No, I’m not,” Han said tightly.

Organa’s face darkened at that simple answer. “I had you investigated,” he said.

Han swallowed hard, that wouldn’t lead anywhere good.

“I could overlook your upbringing. It’s not like you had any control over that. And the fact that you destroyed your Imperial navy career is a point in your favor.”

“Thanks,” Han said sarcastically.

The man came to his full height, and his arms came behind him “But what I find unforgivable Captain is your actions afterward. You are a very talented pilot, there is no denying that. There are dozens of possible paths you could have embraced. Instead, you went the easy way.”

Easy? What galaxy did Bail live in that it was possible to find any job with a dishonorable discharge and desertion charge on his record? Nevermind one that paid enough you could live on it. And that wasn't even taking account the resources he needed to be able to protect Chewbacca. He had gone where the money was, but none of it was _easy._

“But instead of looking harder, or exploring all your options you jumped at the first chance and became nothing more than a common criminal.” The man shook his head “Worse than a common criminal. You under the employ of one of the most repulsive individuals in the galaxy. You have a network of shady allies who would sell you out in a heartbeat, to say nothing to what they would do to you if they knew you had access to my daughter. You have a ship you can barely hold together. You’re lazy, selfish, and have abysmal social skills. What can you possibly believe you can offer Leia?”

Han leaned back in his chair, furious. He gave Organa a slow mocking smile. “It’s true I’m just orphaned gutter trash from the slums of Corellia.”

“I never said-” the man protested.

Han cut him off, done with being polite “Oh not directly. But give me some credit, I may be lazy and selfish, but I’m not stupid.“

Han leaned forward, meeting Organa’s stare head-on “Trust me, I’m well aware that she and I exist in very separate worlds. That if it wasn’t for some weird quirk of fate that our paths would have never crossed.” The senator’s face twisted in disgust at that “But they did cross, and while I’m well aware neither you or I don’t think I’m worthy enough to lick her boots, she disagrees.” He gave Organa a triumphant smile “For some reason, she’s got it in her head that I’m worth something.”

Organa gave an elegant snort “Captain you have no idea.”

Now, what the hell did that mean?

Kenobi entered the room in that fraught silence. For the first time since he met the man, Han was actually grateful to see him.

The old man paused at the door and gave both of them a mildly curious glance. “Am I interrupting something?”

“Nothing important,” Bail said. He turned to Kenobi “Would mind staying old friend?” He shot a glance at Han “I need to see to my wife.”

“See to her?”

Organa grimaced “Apologize profusely,”

“Ahhh,” Kenobi stroked his beard, “That kind of talk.” He gave a puzzled glance at Han. “But isn’t the Captain enough company?”

“Leia was briefly awake earlier,” Organa explained “but she was highly disoriented. She wasn't sure of the date.”

Han scowled, offended for Leia’s sake. With the number of drugs they had her on Han was impressed Leia knew her own name.

“I see,” Kenobi said “And you hope to have a familiar face here for her? If she is unsure of where she is?”

Relief washed over Organa’s face “Yes,”

Han scowled at both of them. He didn't need the old man here to babysit. He wouldn’t touch a hair on her head, now that he knew what a big deal that was. What did these two old fools think he was going to do?

 _“Han my boy,”_ Jabba’s voice rolled through his mind, _“Once you roll in the filth you never clean it off.”_ Well, what the hell did that slug know? About anything? Han certainly wasn’t going to live his life by those standards.

 

ABA Day - 63

 

Han wanted to be asleep. He wanted to be in his bed on the Falcon and not in this uncomfortable chair. But he also wanted to be there if Leia woke up again. So he was drifting in some weird state. He was aware, the noises of the infirmary digging into his brain, but he couldn’t manage to keep his eyes open.

So when he heard, very clearly, Leia's voice say, slurred like she was drunk “So pretty. You were always so pretty.” it took him a moment to understand he wasn’t dreaming.

It was what she said that took him by surprise. She thought he was pretty? Then his eyes snapped open, adrenaline banishing his feeling of exhaustion, as he realized she was talking.

“Leia?” he asked. She was still laying on her front, but her head was turned to him, wide brown eyes staring at him. Obi-Wan’s head jerked up, and Han was vaguely aware of the older man coming to his feet. He ignored that. He brought the chair over to her bed so he could sit beside her and not have her trying to crane her neck to look up at him.

“How do you feel?” he asked softly, resisting the urge to stroke her hair.

She gave him a bemused smile. “Floaty,” she said, still with that slight slur to her words.

Closer he could see that her eyes were wide and dilated. Despite the fact that her back was still a mess, her face was open and relaxed. The Alliance had given her the good stuff. “Yeah, I bet you are.”

“Han?” she asked.

“Yeah?”

“Why am I sleeping on my front?” Her face scrunched up in confusion, and she whined “I hate sleeping that way. You know that.”

No, he did not. Not in any way.  Han shot a panicked look at the old wizard. What was he going to tell Bail about this little tidbit?

Kenobi didn't look all that surprised though, merely thoughtfully worried. On one hand that was good. Maybe when he reported back to Organa, Han wouldn't find his throat slit in the middle of the night. On the other hand, it wasn’t good that he was worried about Leia’s mental state.

“Well,” Han said slowly, focusing back in on Leia “you got shot in the back and the armor you were wearing shattered. It cut you up pretty good. The medics don't want you resting on it because the skin is still pretty fragile.”

She frowned at him,  “I don’t like it.” she complained.

He didn’t like that he couldn’t let her do something as simple as roll over to her back. Hell, screw the old man and screw her father. He gave in to his impulse, and reached out to sooth the lines of stress on her forehead, “Shh, I know.”

She wasn’t going to like anything about the next few days. Leia was always on the move. If she wasn’t barking orders at people, she was pushing them around with her sheer presence. Being confined to a bed had to be her worst nightmare. “It’s just for a few more days,” he put on his best salesman smile “till the bacta treatments have time to do all their work.”

She looked like she was about to try to roll over anyway, and he gave her the look his Ma had always given him when he was being especially stupid.

“Fine,” she grumbled. But the anger with him was gone as soon as it crossed her face.

She gave him that wide open smile, fondness in her voice as she said conspiratorially. “I’ve always liked you.”

Han felt a smile creep on his face “Really?”

“Uh-huh.” She looked so earnest.

He leaned forward, reminding himself that kissing ladies who were drugged out of their minds was not a thing he did. No matter how adorable she was being. “I’ll let you in on a secret.” He let a smirk cross his face. “I like you to.”

She stuck her tongue out and blew a raspberry at him. Han blinked in surprise and then a grin split his face. He knew Leia had a playful side, but she had never really shown it to him.

“Not much of a secret.” she said confidently, her “s” coming out a little long. Behind him, he could hear Obi-Wan suppress a chuckle. So he was a bit obvious in his fascination with her. So what? It’s not like the old man knew anything about love anyway.

Leia let out a huge yawn, talking through it “I even like you when you are driving me crazy.”

That was a good sign, because Han had it from multiple people, including Chewie, that he could try the patience of anyone. “Really? I’m going to have to remember that.”

“You should,” she assured him seriously. Then that frown returned, as her mind wandered somewhere, “Except when you are being stupid, you should stop doing that. Only makes me mad. And not the fun flirting type of mad either.”

Han felt a flicker of surprise and a touch of guilt. This was all stuff she would never in a million years confess to openly. Maybe he should steer her away from this. Leia had her secrets. And he was curious to know them. Okay, a lot more than curious. He wanted to know with a desperate driving need that was making him crazy. But Chewie had been right. He more desperately wanted her to stay. If she told him everything, like this, once she was in her right mind she would never forgive him.

So no deep dark stuff. But maybe something small? Like why sometimes she would be talking to him, and then he would just seem to disappear? While he was still standing right in front of her. Why sometimes she stuck so near him like she couldn't bear to be out of his sight? And then she would look at him with so much anger in her eyes? “When have I been stupid according to you?”

Chastising she told him “When you shot the door in the trash compactor. That was really dumb. Did you think the rest of us hadn’t thought of that? You almost killed Luke.”

Han blinked. What?

Obi-Wan then stepped into Leia’s line of site. She blinked, and then tried to rear back. If Han needed any more proof of how drugged Leia was this would seal the deal. She was always aware of who was in the room.

“Captain Solo did what to Luke?” the words were mild, but there was a threatening tone underneath that soft voice.

Han immediately jumped to his own defense. Organa hated him, and he didn’t need the ex-general after his blood either for threatening the Kid. “I have no idea what she is talking about. They must have given her the really good stuff. I have certainly never been in a garbage compactor with her and Luke.”

Leia scowled at him, “Chewie was there too.” she said as if reminding Han of this would jar the memory loose. “He complained about the smell for _years_.”

What kind of dreams had she been having the last few days? Them, in a trash compactor? He could certainly think of much more fun places to be. Did this mean her subconscious thought he smelled or something? And why would he shoot a door?

“Did he now?” Kenobi’s voice was still mild, but curious. Han frowned. The old man had gotten more from Leia’s nonsense babbling then Han had. But for the life of him, he couldn't figure out _what_. “I’m sure he had a good reason.” the Jedi assured her.

Leia turned her wide eyes to the old man “It was the only way to get out of the hallway,” she said, like any of this made sense “It’s not like _I_ wanted to go down there.” She sounded like the fate of the Rebellion relied on this.

Kenobi offered her a reassuring smile. “Of course you didn’t.” Good to know even in dream situations he would take Leia’s side. Han didn’t understand the old man, or trust him, but he trusted his own ability to read people. And in the last few months, especially in the last few days, he had seen that Kenobi would die for Leia or the Kid. Of course, both of the idiots were completely blind to that fact. But that was enough for Han to grudgingly tolerate the man. Like C3-PO, only Kenobi was less whiny.

Leia smiled contentedly, and then turned that gaze to him. He smiled back, unable to help himself. He liked the Leia with the sharp tongue and wit. But he had to admit this drugged version of her was adorable. You didn’t often see her with her guard down.

She frowned at him again, her drugged mind going somewhere. Why was she constantly frowning at him? “And you were being especially stupid when you left me, just because I forgot to use my words. That was so dumb. I didn’t like it.”

 _“Dreams show the heart Han”_  his ma had said time and again.

In the last few weeks he taken so many half paying jobs, he was in real danger of going broke. He had haunted the hallways of this humid hellhole, hoping to catch even a _glimpse_ of her. He liked Luke, hell he adored Luke. But in his hearts of hearts, he knew that she was the main draw here. Chewie accused him of being smitten. How did she see all that and think he would abandon her?

“Left you?” he said, trying to keep his voice even. His ma had been wrong about a lot of things.

She yawned, and her eyes scrunched up as she told him “You’re lucky you're cute, or I would have shot you on Takodana when you showed up with that new jacket. That would have been a shame.”

Han now had his own frown, as he tried to keep up with this bizarre conversation.  If there was one thing he wouldn't have guessed about her it was that she hung out in seedy bars in the fringes of the galaxy. “Wait? Takodana? You know Maz?”

She looked at him confused “Who doesn’t know Maz?” Like that was the question that was important, instead of what a royal from a Core World was doing on Takonda.

Obi-Wan’s voice was full of suppressed laughter “It would have been a shame to shoot Captain Solo?” Yes, yes, everybody around Leia, except Luke, wanted to shoot him. The funny thing was Luke probably had the most reason to actually want too.

“No,” she said firmly, “Ruining the jacket.” A happy smile crossed her face. “I liked it.” There was an appreciative purr in those words. Han wasn’t even sure half the time she even saw him as attractive. So many times he would flirt with her and she would be fine, then just...withdraw.

Now he had to find what jacket she was talking about. “Uh-huh, Leia-” he said.

She cut him off. “Sleepy, quiet now.” Then for all appearances, she drifted back to sleep.

“Well that was certainly enlightening,” Kenobi muttered.

“Oh good, I’m glad someone could make sense of all that,” Han muttered, leaning back in his chair.

Organa arrived shortly after that, hair freshly washed.

“Any news?” he asked the Jedi.

“Leia likes Captain Solo in a certain jacket, doesn’t like when he’s being stupid, and takes a very dim view of him shooting doors in trash compactors,” Kenobi said conversationally.

Organa gave a long slow blink “What?” Oh good, it didn’t make any sense to him either.

The Jedi shrugged “That’s a basic synopsis of what she said.”

“So she’s still not sure where she is?” Organa looked pained at the thought.

“No,” Kenobi said. “But I imagine that’s the drugs talking. She said she was ‘floaty’. I didn’t sense anything wrong in the Force.”

Ok, that was creepy. Han wondered what the old wizard got off of him in the Force.

Organa relaxed at that, then turned to face Han. “May we speak privately for a moment?” he asked.

Han fought to keep his body relaxed, “Sure.” he said, hauling himself out of his chair. Wondering what new and fun ways the man would find to cut him to shreds.

Organa waited until they were in the hallway “I owe you an apology Captain,” the man said.

If he had done the eight dances of the Trebock system right now, Han wouldn’t have been more surprised. “I'm sorry?”

Organa grimaced ‘I was fighting with my wife, when you walked in. We don’t argue like that very often, and I took that anger out on you.” He gave a long sigh “And I said several cruel and spiteful things because of it.”

Han wanted to poke the man, and make sure it was really him. Maybe he was still dreaming?

“Nothing I haven’t heard before,” he said, trying to figure out where the trick in all this was.

“I read the report,” Organa said.

“Sir?”

A look crossed his face “Bail, please.”

“Sir?” Han said again, stubbornly sticking to the few manners his Ma had drilled into his head.

Organa-no, Bail. He was going to call the man Bail in his head, sighed. “I deserve that.” His tall frame gave a long shudder “I read the report on what happened on Cymoon 1 last night.”

Han gaped. He didn't have any children. Hell the only family that had claimed him was Chewie, but even he knew that was probably a really stupid, and painful thing to do. “Why?”

“Because I needed to know.” Bail shrugged “I’ve spent half of my adult life wilfully blind to certain facts Captain. And it cost me dearly. I learn from my mistakes and don’t let myself stay in ignorance on important matters for very long.”

That made no sense to Han, but the man wasn’t being hostile. He could hear him out.

“And?”

Bail gave him a thoughtful look. ‘You stayed.”

“In the infirmary?” Han asked. Bail knew that. He had been doing it several times over the last few days.

“No on Cymoon 1. When Leia fell, you stayed and defended her.”

Han’s back stiffened “Of course I did.”

Bail shook his head ‘There is no ‘of course’ in this. You faced down insane odds and you never once flinched.”

Han hunched his shoulders, feeling uncomfortable “Only because it was Leia.”

The older man’s look was penetrating “No, it wasn’t because it was someone you care about. Although I'm sure that helped. When things get rough, I find that affection doesn’t always predict whether someone will flee.” What the hell did this pampered Senator know about firefights? How many had he been witness to one in his career in the Senate?

“I wouldn’t have pegged you as someone who would do that,” Bail went on “and I thought I had a good read on you.”

Bail needed to get out more. Now he was starting to sound like his daughter, seeing things that weren’t there. Han had no illusions about himself.

“And you don’t believe anything I’m telling you, do you?” the man had a rueful look on his face.

Han didn’t even bother answering that question.  

“Alright,” he looked old then, suddenly very tired “It will only take time, but you do have my thanks for trying to protect my daughter.” He gave Han a critical look. "And you look like you are about to fall over. Go take a nap."

“Okay,” Han said slowly, feeling very much out of his depth “I’m going to head to the Falcon then.”

“Rest well Captain,” and Bail did a slight bow in his direction, and went back to Leia’s room.

 

ABA - Day 65

 

“Captain Solo?” a voice asked.

Han jerked away, confused for a second. Then he spotted a figure standing in his door frame. His blaster was out before he could even think.

“Who the hell are you?” he snarled.

Then his weapon was yanked out of his hands. “My apologies Captain,” Obi-Wan said, coming into his room a bit “I didn't mean to startle you.”

Han gaped at him for a moment. “What are you doing here?” He demanded.

“I thought you should know that Leia is awake. And aware.”

Han bolted upright in his bed. “When?”

“About five minutes ago,” came the smooth reply, “And as a favor to her, I’m letting you know before Bail.”

 

Han entered the infirmary to hear Leia’s voice, followed by Luke’s. He headed straight over to her med room. He knew he looked a mess, he hadn’t bothered to shave or brush his hair. All he wanted was to see her.

He walked in to see her talking to Banok

“Leia!!” he said, a stupid grin crossing his face.

She turned to face him and her face lit up as she took him in. “You’re alright,” she said, a wide smile of relief aimed at him.

Han felt the scowl take over before he could stop it., “Of course I’m alright. Because you took a shot meant for me.” he lectured, sitting on the chair near her bed. “Don’t do that again,” he said darkly. “I don’t like owing anybody anything.”

The silly woman didn’t even look upset. A fond look crossed her face. “You don’t owe me anything Han. That’s not how this works,” she said softly.

What galaxy was she living in? “Not in my world sister.”

The Healer cleared his throat and Han shut up. If it was one thing he learned over the last few days it was not to mess with Banok.

“As I was saying,” he said “or perhaps there is more guilt tripping you would all like to indulge in?”

Han shook his head

“Good,” he said firmly. “To answer your question Princess, I would like to keep you here for at least one more day for observation. You can be discharged tomorrow, but I do insist that you stay with someone so they can monitor you.”

“She can stay with me.” Han offered, only to hear Luke echo the same thought. Han looked at Luke. Really? Was Leia supposed to stay with him in those barracks with however many other people? Exactly how was she supposed to rest there?

Then he noticed where Luke actually was. He was curled around her like he never wanted to let her go. Han felt his heart lurch weirdly at the sight. Luke hadn't told him to back off, he had done quite the opposite. But that is because Luke Skywalker was a better man the Han could ever be.

Maybe Leia would prefer Luke, even though the Falcon had an extra room she could stay in. It needed to be cleaned. Han couldn’t remember the last time someone had stayed there, and it was sure to be dusty, but that was it. His ship was never allowed to be a mess.

“Or perhaps she should stay with her mother and father?” Han shuddered. He couldn’t help it, no matter Bail’s ‘apology’. That coolly collected voice went on. “Given that we at least have some moderating influence on her. Knowing Leia, the first time she’s able to stay awake for more than five minutes she is going to throw herself into her work full speed.”

Healer Banok went on the lecture Leia about her non-existent survival skills, “You are restricted to light activities only for two weeks. I want you to rest and relax.”

Yeah, that was something that was going to happen.

Leia opened her mouth to protest, but Banok ran over her objections, “No Your Highness, I must insist on this, or I won’t let you out of here that entire time. Your body has been through a horrible trauma and you need to give it time to heal. I know most patients are more comfortable in familiar surroundings than here, but I will keep you here if you don’t promise me you will take it easy.” See, Banok was scary on his own. Not many people don't fold in front of those scowls.

Bail wasn’t a pushover either. “Leia,” he said warningly.

Luke didn’t pipe up, but he did tighten his arms around Leia.

Leia looked at all of them and let out a weighty sigh, “I promise.”

Han relaxed. Leia took that kind of thing seriously.

Banok nodded, content with her word. “Good. I hate to tie up this bed for that long simply because you were being difficult. Do you have any more questions for me?” Leia shook her head **.** “Good. I’ll schedule your PT for tomorrow, and after that is done I will release you into your parent’s care.” Then he walked away, probably to terrify some other poor soul.

Senator Organa waited until the healer left the room before walking in, “Luke,” he said, friendly, and then turned to Han “Captain Solo.” He offered Han a small smile.

What the hell was Han supposed to do with that? “Sir,” Han responded.

Bail ran a critical eye over Han. Han fought a blush that was trying to creep up his face. He must look a mess. He had no doubts that Bail had gotten over here as fast as Han did, and he still looked like he could step out onto the Senate floor. “You are looking a bit more refreshed than the last time I saw you.” Bail said.

“Yeah,” and here Han ran his hands through his hair, “The nap helped.” Han wanted to talk to Leia. But this...no. He barely knew what to do with Bail when the man was openly hostile. This polite respect was freaking him out.

He did a quick search around the room and noticed he was sitting in the only available seat. Seizing on the excuse, he sat up abruptly. “So this is a bit crowded for my tastes. I should get going.”

He looked over at Leia, who was looking confused over his abrupt departure. He briefly thought about staying. Then he took in Bail’s patient expecting look and suppressed a shudder. Nope, not going there.

“I’ll see you later Princess,” and with as much dignity as he could, beat a hasty retreat. There was too much going on in his mind and in that small room. He would take a few hours, relax, and put his head on straight.  Then he would go see Leia again, and everything would be under control.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation into 中文 available: [[Translation]Scenes from the Middle Game ](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12570572/chapters/28631816) by[Acyancat](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Acyancat/pseuds/Acyancat)


	4. Luke

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For lajulie24 and autistichansolo, who requested Luke's POV of the Vader reveal in Chapters 12 and 13. Now with bonus Wedge and Han! As always I hope you enjoy.

ABA - Day 71

 

Luke loved to fly. In space, on a planet, it didn’t matter. In the seat of a cockpit was where he felt the most comfortable, the most in control. Not only was flying something he loved, but it was something he knew he was good at. In a life where he constantly felt like he was two steps behind or ahead of everyone else, it was a relief to find a place where he was perfectly in time. It was a skill even Uncle Owen couldn’t deny was useful. It was also something his father had been good at. Uncle Owen had admitted that much about his father, if not much else.

He knew he was good at flying. He had known that before he ever left Tatooine. He had been an avid watcher of pod racing, and he knew that he could have taken on some of those pilots. They may have been professionals, but he had known he could beat them. He certainly knew how to fly Beggar's Canyon better than they could.

Uncle Owen had forbidden him to enter, even when they desperately could have used the money. His father’s success at the Boonta Eve classic was still a tale told. Uncle Owen had been afraid that if the Hutt’s had known how much talent he had inherited from his father, Luke would wake up in a strange room wearing chains. But it wasn’t until he gotten here, to Yavin, that Luke realized that he could do things that others considered impossible.

It was the Force, Ben had told him. The Force helping him sense when he should move and dive. The Force making his reflexes seem so much faster. And like his knack for piloting, the Force was something his father had too. And it was something he shared with Leia, no matter how much she seemed ambivalent about it.

Flying was something he loved, briefings on the other hand were a small torture.

It wasn’t that he was bored. He wasn’t. Anyone who had grown up in the middle of an isolated nowhere knew that meetings like this couldn’t truly be boring. Because at least here, there was ‘something’ going on. Luke had once spent three hours staring at a rock in his room because he had nothing else to do and he couldn’t go outside into the midday heat.

He also didn’t seem to have the same impatience and disdain for meetings that Leia had. Maybe it was because she could see so clearly what needed to be done, and didn’t understand why others couldn’t. Luke was still learning, still listening. It still surprised him when people, like Wedge or Hobbie, asked for his opinion. What did he know? Unless it had to do with flying the sum total of his knowledge was how to read, the best way to fix worn down mechanics, and how to survive in the desert. Which wasn’t all that useful on a tropical planet like Yavin.

No, the problem Luke had was the people who were at these briefings.

It wasn’t that anyone was giving him a hard time. Well, not to his face. People were people everywhere, even here in the Rebellion. He was aware that his quick elevation in the ranks of the Alliance was bound to cause resentment somewhere. Uncle Owen had always said, “If you don’t stand out, you won’t become a target.” Well, Luke stood out the moment he stepped foot on this planet. Even if he hadn’t destroyed the Death Star, being accompanied by General Obi-Wan Kenobi was enough to single him out. And for those in the know, he was also the son of General Anakin Skywalker.

Then he had made that “impossible” shot, without a targeting computer. He didn’t see the difficulty. Womp rats were harder to hit, and he got them most of the time when he was hunting them from his speeder. The only reason he had been worried about the target at all was the knowledge that an entire world, Leia’s world, rested on him making that shot. It was the awe and almost fear that people regarded him with when he returned that showed him how different his version of “hard” was.

“That's him,” he heard whispered wherever he went “Dameron, the Jedi.”

Which was a great joke, because if there was anything he was painfully aware of it was how much he still had to learn. It stung too because his name wasn’t Dameron. He understood the reason for hiding, he agreed with it. But logic and the heart weren't the same thing. His heart chaffed even for one second denying in any way where he came from. He wasn’t ashamed that he came from a long line of slaves. He wasn’t sorry he came from Tatooine. He never wanted to go back there, but he wasn’t denying that was where he was from.

While he was growing up, Luke longed to get off Tatooine. Longed to meet more than the thirty people who he spent a majority of his life with. To be able to blend into a crowd, and not have everyone know everything about him. Well, he was no longer on Tatooine and everyone still watched his smallest movement with avid interest. It was worse than Camie back home, the biggest gossip who knew everything. Occasionally Luke wondered how she and her family were doing. But not enough to try to reach out to them.

So when he slipped into the briefing for today's flight schedule he was relieved to see that almost no one was paying him any attention. He sat next to Wedge, who gave him a friendly smile. Luke liked Wedge. The Corellian was surprisingly easy going and had welcomed Luke with open arms. Luke understood how easily that could have not been the case. He had  swooped in and stolen the man’s promotion from him. Luke was being trained for getting his own squadron. Wedge had been a member of the Alliance for years, and should have gotten it when the opening happened. When he asked Wedge about it, the man only shrugged.

“Stung a bit,” he admitted. “But I saw what you did up there, over the Death Star.” The man gave him a tight smile. “If letting you take lead gets us to more dead Imperials, I’m all for it.”

Luke hadn’t pressed. People were here for all kinds of reasons. Most of them were like him, trying to seek some form of justice for a wrong done to them by the Empire. But that wasn’t everyone. There were people here who were trying to find redemption or forgiveness. He didn't want to know which camp Wedge belonged to. It wasn’t his business anyway, unless Wedge wanted to tell him.

Commander Dreis came to the front of the room, and everyone quieted. “Morning,” the man grumbled. “Here’s the rotation schedule for today.”

Luke listened with half an ear as the man listed who was flying when, and who was on call. There were no planned missions for today, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t be called at any moment if the base came under attack. Luke noted his shift was mid-afternoon, but his mind wandered away. He seemed to be having trouble focusing since Leia had been hurt. His mind kept dwelling on subjects he didn’t want it to.

“ _A warning boy, if Leia dies there is nowhere in the galaxy that I won’t hunt you down_.”

“Dameron?”

Luke jolted upright “Sir?” he asked.

Red Leader’s face was amused “Care to share?”

Luke blushed, “No,” he muttered.

Commander Dreis smirked, “Well then, would you mind paying attention?”

“Yes, sir,” Luke said, sinking into his seat in embarrassment.

There were a few titters, and Wedge shot him a sympathetic look. But Luke forced himself to sit up straight and pay attention to the rest of the briefing.

 

At the end of the briefing, most of the pilots immediately left the room, heading to the flight deck, or to wherever they spent their time. Luke sat there, berating himself for his earlier lapse. He was the new guy, the stranger, the unknown factor. He knew that. He needed to prove his worth, and drifting off in the middle of a meeting was not the way to do it. He wasn’t Leia, there was no political name and long history to fall back on when he screwed up.

“You get only one chance to make a good impression Luke,” Aunt Beru had told him time and time again “Make sure it’s the right one.” Of course Luke had spent most of his life with people who had known him since he could walk, so he didn’t have a lot of practice at making a great introduction.

Wedge looked at him in concern “You okay?”

Luke shrugged “Fine, just tired.”

Wedge offered “Want to talk about it?”

“No,” Luke said firmly. None of what was bothering him was anything he could confess to Wedge. “But thanks for the offer.”

Wedge grinned “Well, I’m here anytime ‘Dameron.’” There was enough emphasis on that name for Luke to wonder. He wasn’t sure if Wedge actually knew his real last name, and was being coy, or was fishing for clues as to what it could be. Either way, he didn’t seem to be buying the Alliance leadership line about Luke’s false identity, Poe Dameron. Or was it Luke Dameron? Luke honestly wasn’t sure anymore.

Luke snorted “Thanks.”

There were two pilots, who were also taking their time exiting, while gossiping in the front row. Luke could hear them, especially when one of them said in a loud voice

"I don't know what is up with the schedule," he complained. "Have you seen it? Does he think we are droids who don't need a rest?"

Luke wondered what they were whining about. Everyone knew they were short personnel. There had been some new recruits that trickled in, defectors from the Imperial Navy, but the Alliance was being cautious in trusting them with anything. And no offense to Dreis, but Uncle Owen had been a much more merciless taskmaster.

“Plans for tonight after your CAP?” Wedge asked him softly.

Luke grinned and turned his focus back in on Wedge. “Sleep. Tomorrow is my day off, and I’m not going to put real clothes on.”

Wedge chuckled. “Bet your roommates will love that.”

The other pilot, the one not complaining about Dreis said “Yeah, like you can attribute human emotions to anything he does.” Luke could be wrong, but that sounded an awful lot like Binli.  Luke flicked his eyes to the front of the room. Yep, it was Binli alright. Luke would recognize that choppy brown hair, and mustache anywhere.

Luke scoffed at Wedge’s statement, but silently he was wondering how stupid the two in front of him were being. It was one thing to bitch about your commander in private with your buddy, quite another to do it in an open area with people listening in.

“Like they have any reason to complain,” Luke said “Hobbie doesn’t seem to understand the point of clothes. He would run around naked if he could.”

Binli’s companion, whose voice Luke didn’t recognize, abruptly rose in sharp anger. “I’m telling you, that’s the reason.”

Binli’s voice was full of scorn. “I doubt it.”

Wedge fell silent, as he too eavesdropped on the conversation, his face openly curious.

“I don’t know,” the unknown pilot said. “maybe he has a type?”

“Pretty damn specific type.” Binli grumbled “A mouthy, idealistic, smart, short brunette politician?”

Luke stiffened as those words sunk in. Leia. These two were talking about Leia. Well, that answered the question about whether they knew he was in the room.  Wedge’s eyes went wide and he looked at Luke, his mouth curling into an amused smile.  Luke felt himself flush. He knew what people thought about his and Leia’s relationship, and Wedge had indirectly confirmed the rumors about the bets going on. Was this gossip about him? It sounded like these two had moved off complaining about Dreis and onto him and Leia’s relationship. Did he really come off as a droid to these people?

“I don’t know,” Binli’s friend said, “I wouldn’t kick her out of bed.”

Luke scowled, ready to stand up and end this. Leia was more than some conquest,  dammit. But Binli went on before Luke could even move. “Like Vader is human enough to want things?”

Luke felt all the blood drain from his head. What did these two know about what Vader wanted with Leia? The better question was how? He knew for a fact that Vader’s offer to her at Grakuus’s stadium had been left out of the informal report given to the Alliance. And he had said nothing to anybody about his and Vader’s strange conversation on Cymoon 1. So what did these morons know? Neither of them were in Command, or a part of the leadership of the Alliance. Just what gossip was floating around this base?

Beside him, Wedge laid a restraining hand on his arm. Luke looked at him in surprise, and Wedge’s face was full of worry. Luke looked down and saw that his own hand was tightened into a fist. He breathed through his nose, and with an effort unclenched it.

“You got a better explanation for his obsession with her?” Luke really needed to know this pilot’s name. “A twenty-five million bounty? Alive, no major harm?” The pilot snorted “That’s higher than even Kenobi's. And you heard those rumors about how he confiscated everything that was hers from the Alderaan palace. I’m telling you, Vader is in love. Or at least lust.”

Binli laughed “Yeah, I’m sure that’s it. I think it’s more likely that Her Highness is Palpatine’s long lost daughter.”

“It makes sense!” his friend insisted.

Binli’s tone was derisive as he finally moved to leave the room. “Like anything that creature does makes any sense? If he did, he would have killed Palpatine a long time ago and ruled the galaxy himself.” The two voices trailed away, as they both exited the room.

Wedge’s adam apple bobbed as he swallowed “Luke,” he said cautiously.

Luke shook his head. He wasn’t going to find answers here. Not from Wedge, or those two pilots. There was only one person on this base who knew what was going on, and by all the gods, he was finally going to get some answers out of her. This had been going on long enough, and there was no way he would allow himself to remain in the dark. Without a word to Wedge, Luke got up and left the briefing room.

 

Luke knew his sister was busy. He just wasn’t actually sure what Leia did on the base. He knew that she would occasionally take a CAP rotation if they were short staffed for some reason. He knew that she talked to people, and he was aware of her nightly visits to the communications center to check on the news from Alderaan.

He knew Leia did things. Talked to people, trained in the weapons lounge, was in one meeting after another. But the exact details escaped him. When he asked about her day she would prattle on about this person and that, and the annoying things she remembered them doing. But she never mentioned what she actually _did_.

He wasn’t lounging around himself. Between his shifts in the X-Wing, all the lesson Dreis was pounding into his head to be a commander of a squadron, and his Jedi lessons, there were days when Luke felt the only time he was truly relaxed was when he was at the Organa’s breakfast table or helping Han fix the Falcon. He wondered if he should feel guilty about all the time he was taking up of hers. If anything, this little search of his only emphasized how busy she was. She had never said anything about it to him directly. Of course, she loved him, and just might be being polite.

He could use the Force to track Leia, of course. But he didn't want to give her too much warning on his mood. On a normal day, Leia’s walls kept him from feeling every emotion and thought that passed through her head. He hadn’t realized she was even doing it, until Ben had brought up his own lack of control. Luke was apparently broadcasting his emotions all over the base. Leia had never said a word about it to him, but he felt the slight shame in the fact that he was inadvertently sharing every stray emotion with her.

It made sense in hindsight. That first night Leia had come to his door, knowing he was upset. Well actually, she was there to apologize for accidentally walking into his nightmare. But she had known that he was upset, otherwise, she never would have shown up in his head.

As he rounded the corner into the main communications center, his third such stop this morning looking for his wayward twin, his frustration with her was at a boiling point. She was _supposed_ to be resting. She was on half days. He very clearly remembered the conversation her parents had with her about taking it easy. If this was Leia’s version of easy he was mildly terrified to wonder what a full day for her looked like.

He approached one of the techs “Have you seen Princess Leia?” he asked.

The woman looked up from her console and frowned at the interruption  “No.“

Luke gave her a smile “Do you know where I might find her?”

The tech shrugged “Do I look like her assistant?” the woman asked dismissing him.

So much for that. Sighing Luke headed out of the room. Luckily he spotted Breha, also exiting the room.

“Breha,” he cried out to get her attention, jogging up to her.

“Luke,” she said, turning to face him, a smile of greeting on her face “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

Luke smiled back “I’m looking for Leia,” he said.

Breha sighed “I see, no time for an old lady like me.”

Luke was about to protest, then he caught the gleam of teasing in her eyes. He knew that there were no blood ties between Breha and Leia, but at that moment he could only marvel at how alike the two of them looked.

“Do the Organa women enjoy making me squirm?” he complained.

Her Majesty laughed “But you blush so hard when we do,” she said gently “It is very hard to resist.”

“Thanks? I think?” Luke had never interacted with royalty, but he had the feeling Bail and Breha were unusual in regard to most of their class. Sure, they could be being nice to him because he was Leia’s brother, but he had seen them interact with a lot of people on this base. They were never condescending or rude. They never seemed to complain about the accommodations afforded them, and Luke had heard, through Leia, several of the former Imperial senators on base were not nearly as understanding about that.

“You are quite welcome,” she said solemnly “The last I heard Leia had a meeting with Mon this morning.”

He quickly leaned forward and brushed a kiss on her cheek, “Thanks,” he said.

“You are quite welcome.”

Luke hurried over to Mon’s office, only to be told by her very scary assistant, a blue Twi’lek male who was at least a foot taller than Luke, that Her Highness had already left. Luke sighed. It seemed he had just missed her.

He went down the corridor that led to the mess hall. He was getting hungry and thought maybe Leia would be heading that way too. Of course when he stopped looking was when he found his sister. He caught sight of her in the corridor, mind distant, and her feet moving on autopilot as she navigated the halls.

He came up beside her, and when she didn't acknowledge his presence, he reached down and grabbed her hand.

She jumped, and turned to him, the other hand starting to come up to hit him. Then a smile broke out across her face as she took him in, and that hand dropped.

“Luke,” she said nothing but happiness in her tone. Then that pleasure drained away as she got a good look at his face.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

Luke thought of all the people pressing down on them. The curious eyes, that even now were watching them. “Not here.”

He tugged on her slightly, and still holding her hand he walked them through the hallways. He could feel Leia’s curiosity and wonder at what he was doing, but he said nothing. He concentrated on keeping his shields as tight as he could, making sure she couldn’t sense his intent. Leia wouldn’t lie to him, not directly, he knew that. But she was tricky as a trader, and if he gave her even the slightest hint of what he wanted to talk about she would find a way to dance out of it.

He led them to the edge of the landing field, to that small space of clearing, right before the huge jungle’s began. To the same place where she had told him about being from the future. Where she had revealed that she was his sister and that he wasn’t alone in the galaxy. That his family, his roots, weren’t all gone in a blaze of fire that had been set by the Empire.

When they got there he dropped her hand. Now that he had some time to cool off, he was feeling slightly ridiculous. All the dramatic gestures, the unnecessary moves. This was Leia, if he asked directly, she would tell him.

Her voice brought him back from his whirling thoughts. “Luke?”

Well, he had dragged them all the way out here. He had already made somewhat of a fool of himself, no sense in backing out now. He made sure that nothing came out in his voice. “I was waiting until you were feeling better to bring this up. And then I thought it would be best to have this conversation in private, away from everyone.”

He could feel her weariness and impatience “Luke what is this about?”

Her dismissive tone snapped what calm he had built. He had spent weeks worrying about this. It had started with Vader’s strange behavior on Nar Shaddaa and was pushed over the edge by the bizarre talk he and the Sith Lord had on Cymoon 1. He wasn’t the only sibling in this relationship who sought to protect the other. And Leia had shown huge blind spots on her ability to handle certain things.  “What does Vader want with you? Because I know it’s not your death.”

There was nothing but silence for a moment, and that moment, Luke knew he was onto something. Leia was never at a loss for words. “And how do you know that?” she asked.

Luke turned around, wanting to see her reaction to this “Because he told me.”

Leia swayed on her feet, actually swayed. “He spoke to you!?!” she hissed, her fear very clear and cutting into his shields. “Luke when was he close enough to do that?”

Luke felt the tinge of regret at his phrasing creep up into his mind. He hadn’t meant to frighten her that badly, and finally seeing Vader in person definitely proves all the tales about him were not exaggerations. He shook his head. “Not with words Leia,” she didn’t look at all reassured.

He let his voice die as he tried to think of a way to tell her this without ratcheting up her anxiety. “Let me show you. I think that will be the best way to explain this.”

He gently rapped on her mind. There was a brief hesitation from her, then those thick walls fell. He stepped into that strange and familiar place and showed her everything. From the running, to her screams of pain, to her prone body on the ground, to the terrifying figure of Vader. He held nothing back, and when he was done, Leia’s mind was a terrifying blankness.

She withdrew from his mind. “Well?” Luke demanded.

Leia’s face was pale, and her lips were pressed into a tight line. She didn’t say anything to his question, just stared at him, trembling. No, not just scared, Leia looked _terrified._ She brought up her hands to her mouth like she wanted to speak, but didn’t trust the words. Luke felt his impatience fall away in the face of her obvious fear.

Something was wrong. More than Vader’s strange obsession with her. More than Vader’s odd threats to Luke. More than seeing for herself, first hand, what injuries she had taken protecting Han. Something she had seen in his mind had frightened her so badly Leia was at a loss for words.

“Leia?” He asked gently, trying to get her attention.

Those brown eyes focused back in on him, and he stepped forward. “Leia, what’s wrong?” he asked concerned “You're trembling?” He didn't know what to say, so he pulled her into his arms, trying to ground her, trying to remind her that she was here, safe on Yavin.  Whatever horrible nightmare was haunting her they could face together. She stood there, hugging him back as hard as he was.

Then something rippled through her, and she withdrew. “Luke-” she started to say, but he cut her off.

“Forget it. We’ll talk about this later, you are in no condition to explain anything to me right now.” Only now was he remembering she was still healing. That she could barely get through a day without dropping from exhaustion at the end of it. He hadn’t thought it was possible to forget, he didn’t think he would be closing his eyes anytime soon and not see Leia’s limp form splayed out on the ground. But in his impatience for answers, he had done what he always did, pushed so hard that wasn’t seeing who was in his way. Would he ever learn how to slow down?

She looked at him for a moment, thoughtful. For one brief second, he thought she would take the out he had given her. That whatever this was could wait. That she would, for once, let something rest. Then she opened her mouth “About Vader-”  Of course she would continue. This was Leia, she didn’t do _easy._

He felt his face scowl. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll handle it.”

She looked guilty “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

A little stung at her lack of faith in his abilities he shot back “You think I can't take him?”

She actually looked like she was _thinking_ about it. Wasn’t that the whole point of him becoming a Jedi. Hadn’t he, well a version of him, done this before? What was so different about him that she thought he couldn't? She offered cautiously “I think you’ll be able to yes, but the question is will you want to?”

Wouldn’t want to? What was she talking about? He knew she had a tendency to look at him as an innocent, but he had seen his first body when he was six, which was something he doubted she had been exposed to in her pampered life on Alderaan. Did she think he was that weak?  

“Of course I will!” He gestured around them “Do you think there is another way to stop him?”

That guilt around her intensified, cloying against his shields, it felt like the smell of decay to Luke. “Revenge isn’t the Jedi way.” she cautioned.

That is what she was worried about? Him falling to the Dark Side when he killed their father’s murderer?

“This isn’t revenge!” he said firmly, knowing this like he knew what the signs of an incoming sandstorm looked like. “This is self-preservation.” She only gave him a deeply doubtful look and he went on  “He’s threatening you! Why I don’t know, but whatever he wants from you, it can’t be good.”

Leia look slightly taken aback, and she bit her lip in nervousness. Luke kept going, infuriated she thought he would be so callous as to let this monster run loose on the galaxy, merely because she thought he was squeamish. Well older him might have embraced such a self-destructive outlook, but Luke was too close to the sands of Tatooine to ever think that _now._ “May I remind you of all that he has taken from me. He killed Biggs!” He stepped closer to her, trying to make her see. “He killed our father!

“No Luke,” regret and grief clear in both her voice and the Force  “he _is_ our father.” Her face broke into a strange kind of grief at that. She looked like she desperately wanted to say anything but what she just had.

Luke felt like a sinkhole had just opened up underneath him. He heard what she said, but there was this haziness to it. Vader was their father? That couldn’t be right. Anakin Skywalker was their father, that was what he had been told his entire life. Anakin Skywalker had been a spice navigator. No, that wasn’t right, he had been a Jedi.

Vader...Vader was a monster. A slaver, a tool of an Empire that Luke wanted to pull every root of out of the galaxy. Vader consumed everything in his path. Love, light, decency,  it all died around him. He was only a human-shaped Hutt. Vader had killed Anakin, he couldn’t be…

Luke thought of Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru's strange reluctance to discuss anything about his father. About how they would tell him stories about his grandmother, about Shmi, but nothing about the man who sired him. Was it because he had been a foundling after all? Could it be that Luke wasn’t related to them in any way, either by blood or choice? Was he just some lost child of a monster? Was the foundation of who he was one large lie? “I’m not the child of Anakin Skywalker?”

Leia frowned, then she shook her head, “No, of course you are, Luke.”

You are, not we are. Luke puzzled over that distinction, and why Leia felt like she needed to make it. He let that thought go. Leia was a creature of self-definition. Bail was her father, not Anakin. And most days he was fine with that. But if she was saying Anakin was his father, then what was she talking about? Confusion rose in him.

“But you just said Vader is our father.”

Her voice was full of pain “He is Luke. He is our father."

Luke frowned. Leia wasn’t Ben, she didn’t usually speak in riddles. And nothing she had said in the last few minutes made any sense. He looked at her critically, trying to see if there was some sign on her face that this was all some horrible joke or a weird lesson of some kind. She looked deadly serious. But her face was too pale, and she was still trembling.

There was only one answer to all this, Leia was in pain. He stepped forward and gently grabbed her chin in his hands. Worried he peered into her eyes. They looked normal, not blown out like some of the spice users he had seen at Anchorhead. “Leia, are you on any pain medication? Any drugs at all?”

She just looked confused “What? No?”

He went on, with the questions that Aunt Beru had asked him every time he hit his head “Any dizziness? Disorientation?”

Leia’s posture stiffened, and indignation chased her face “I’m fine,” she said.

That sealed it. Leia always insisted she was fine, even when she was bleeding out. “You’re not fine. Something’s wrong. You’re not thinking clearly.”

Luke reached out in the Force, and wobbly called out “ _Obi-Wan?”_

 _“Luke?”_ came back. That was a relief. Leia was better at hearing him, although if that was because they were twins, or Obi-Wan was just out of practice Luke didn’t know.

 _“Leia…”_ he felt his worry for her buckle his concentration and he settled with a simple _“Need help.”_

Leia’s voice brought him back. “Do you understand what I just told you?”

No, but he also thought she didn’t understood what she was saying. “You aren’t making any sense.” He reached out and grabbed her calloused hand in his. Pulling her behind him, he started walking back to the temple. “We need to find your parents. You need to see Healer Banok.”

Leia resisted him, of course she did, throwing her weight to slow him down. “No, Luke. I don’t need to see the healer, and we definitely don’t need Obi-Wan.” Oh yes, she did. She needed him, Ben, her parents, Healer Banok, hell the whole damn rebel base as far as he was concerned. “I’m fine,” she said again.

Luke gritted his teeth. He really didn't like it when she downplayed her weakness to him. She was injured, now was not the time to ignore her own limits. “You’re not fine!” he shot back, a little more harshly than he intended “You’re speaking in riddles.”

”No, I am not,” she hissed. Luke felt her hand suddenly yank out of his, and he turned to face her. If she wouldn’t come willingly he would pick her up and _make_ her.

“Luke, stop!” Luke’s breath whooshed out of him as he felt the Force scream _“obey_ ” on the edge of her words. He looked at her baffled. She didn’t look like she was trying to do a mind trick on him. Luke wasn’t even sure she knew how to do one.

Just at the edge of his hearing, there was the echo of “ _you want to listen, you want to listen, you want to listen_ ” singing in his ears. Her face was resolute, but there was no visible concentration. She was just determined that he hear whatever she had to say. So much so that she had inadvertently tried to bend his will to hers.

Luke couldn't have been more afraid if she had genuinely tried to trick him with the Force. Leia never lost control like this, whatever demon was riding her mind was riding her hard. He dropped the hand he was reaching for her with.

She took one calming breath, and faster than he could track, she came up to him and had his face in her hand. He could feel her fingers digging into his chin firmly, as she pulled his head down until they were face to face. Staring directly into his eyes she demanded “Are you listening to me?

Luke could feel Ben’s presence in the Force, moving at a good speed towards them. He nodded to Leia, hoping to buy time. He didn’t want to upset her any further. He would let her say whatever nonsense she wanted to babble. What possible harm could it do? Then when Ben arrived, the two of them would maneuver her to the med bay. If there was anyone who could match wits with Leia, drugged or not, it was Ben.

Leia’s voice was firm and clear, as she stated. “We are twins.” Luke waited for her to continue, but she just stood there, clear-eyed and waiting. Slowly he nodded his head, hoping that was what she wanted. Relief bloomed in her eyes, and Luke was puzzled. This wasn’t some great revelation, she knew this, she’s the one who told him in the first place. Why did she feel the need to state it again?

“Anakin Skywalker is our biological father.” Uncertain where she was going with this, he nodded again.

“Anakin Skywalker is not dead.” Luke tried to shake his head. Her hand stopped him before he could even really start the motion. Luke could feel the Force as she used it to keep him still. “Listen!!” her voice was commanding and fierce, but there were no strange echoes in it. “I want you to really listen right now Luke, in every way.”

Luke looked at her, her face fierce and urgent. She sounded very firm on this. This wasn’t something he did very often, especially around her. He knew his own shields were nowhere near the level of hers. Their early morning runs showed him how easy it was for them to sync, for Luke to know _everything_ his sister did. Leia valued her privacy, and he had wanted to respect that. But she had offered, so Luke left himself wide open to the Force, listening to everything around them.

There was grief and regret swirling around her, nearly drowning him in its sad song. All of that emotion aimed at him as she said, very slowly “Anakin Skywalker _is_ Darth Vader.”

Luke stood still for a heartbeat, waiting for the Force to sing of the falseness of this. Nothing came. She was telling the truth. Luke desperately replayed those words in his mind, hoping that if _he_ said them that the Force would reveal them to be the misguided muddles of a drugged Leia. Nothing happened, just the lightning zap of “ _yes, yes, yes_ ,” along his skin.

He took in a deep shaky breath. Leia, seeing something on his face, gave a sharp nod of approval, and let him go. She took a step back, giving him a bit of space.

Those words “Anakin Skywalker _is_ Darth Vader,” kept echoing in his mind. No matter how he approached it, nothing seemed to change about it. Luke tried to get his bearings, tried to find purchase in this strange new world he had found himself in. His eyes went to the jungle not even fifty feet from him. He reminded himself that he was on Yavin. On this tropical world, that had more lush green life then he thought was possible. His breath hitched, and for a moment he longed for sand beneath his feet, and two suns beating down on his back. At least there, he had known where he had stood.

This wasn’t the first time his world had been upended, hell it wasn’t the first time his world had been cracked wide open this _year_. But there was only one thought that he kept clinging to, like a child with a favorite toy.

“That’s not true." he whispered, trying to deny what everything was telling him otherwise. She had to be mistaken. Or confused.  "That’s impossible.”

Leia’s face was concerned, but she didn’t step any closer to him “Why?” she asked.

Why? _Why?_ She had the nerve to ask why? Didn’t his alternate explain anything!?! Or was he too busy running from himself to bother?

“The Empire makes slaves,” Luke said. This was the surest thing he knew. This was a fact of his world that Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru wove into his bones. That he know slavers when he saw them and never looked away. There might not be anything he could do about it, but that he would never excuse it, never justify it. “The Wookies were made slaves. The Twi'leks were made slaves. The Empire supports the Hutt’s, and they are open slavers. Vader is the enforcer of the will of the Empire. Are you telling me that our father” and his voice wobbled on that word “used his freedom to take it away from others?”

Comprehension and sorrow crossed her face. So many thoughts were dancing there, in that clever mind of hers. Then she gave a long hard blink, coming to some conclusion “Yes,” she said slowly, “You can say that.”

Every dream and hope he had ever built in his life snapped at those soft words. He was Luke Skywalker, son of Anakin Skywalker, who was the first freed slave of his family. And he and his mother, Luke’s grandmother, had died that way. They hadn’t been born free, but they had died that way. Anakin, as a Jedi, helping others. Only that wasn’t true, was it?

“But why? Why would he do that?” Luke pleaded.

There was something behind Leia’s eyes, but all she said was “I’m not really sure.” The Force rang with the truth, but there was something she wasn’t saying.

_Like how our father is still alive?_

His father was a slaver. His father was Darth Vader. His father wasn’t a spice navigator or a Jedi or any of those things. His mind kept swirling as his thoughts chased after themselves. Leia had lied to him. She hadn’t once corrected him in all the times he had mentioned his reasons for killing Vader. How did she live with this? How did she stand there, so certain, so strong, knowing the betrayal that lurked in their blood?

_Who told Leia?_

He brought his attention back to her. She was still standing there, that damn neutral expression on her face. The one that said she would wait forever. The one that even on a good day irritated him because it reminded him of the vast gulf in their ages.

_Another thing stolen from you._

“Who told you?” he demanded

Her eyes flickered for a moment to the side. When she chose to be Leia could have the hardest face to read that Luke had ever come across. But he knew her, more than that, with everything he was open in the Force, he could feel her. Dread filled him, and her answer brought him no comfort. “Your alternate.”

_But she loves me? How could she lie to me?_

She knew. She had known the minute she had met him. She had known when she told him she was the only blood relative he had left. This wasn’t something her parents confessed to her because she was now so much older. Her precious Jedi Master version of Luke Skywalker had told her.

 _Vader died_ , a bitter cynical voice whispered _The Empire fell and he died_ . _You know that. Who do you think killed him?_

He scrambled for an explanation, any explanation. Maybe she had learned only recently. Maybe it was a secret that this other strange version of him hadn't wanted to burden his sister with.

“When?” Luke asked, shoving those thoughts to the back of his mind. “When did you learn about him?”  

Her mind wandered away. She was standing there, but she was lost in some memory he couldn’t even begin to see. There was pain and heartache, along with a fierce sense of belonging wrapped up in this moment for her. Whenever it was. Luke batted down his irritation, he hated it when she went places he couldn’t follow.

Her gaze came back to his, and he could see the guilt there. “When I was twenty-three.”

Leia was fifty-three years old. She had told him that, but for the most part, it was something he could conveniently forget about when he looked at her. Otherwise, the life, the relationship, that had been stolen from him would blind him with bitterness.

They were twins. They were cut from the same cloth and should have walked their life together, till one of them died. Twins from birth to death. Twins who survived on Tatooine were a rarity. They were considered a sign of strength and luck. But not only had he and Leia been raised apart, she was now so much further ahead in her life then he was. Aunt Beru had always warned him about the costs of wanting things that were impossible to have. Mostly he tried to live by that advice.

It was hard to remember that sometimes. Luke would say something or do something, and he could feel her surprise or worry. Feel her disappointment that he wasn’t the Luke she was looking for. Now all he could think was in that time, she had learned this about them.

“Decades!?! You knew for decades!!! And the whole time you’ve been here, you said nothing!?!” Luke shook his head, trying to clear it. “No, worse than nothing. You lied to me?” He could feel his voice getting louder but was unable to stop it.

Leia shook her head “No, I never said our father was dead.”

Luke felt like she had struck him, hard. He had seen Leia use her words like a deadly knife fighter. He just never thought she would turn that skill on him. “Don’t you dare use that diplomatic bantha shit on me, Leia. You _knew_ and you said nothing!!!” He could hear several birds in the jungle give out cries of alarm at his raised voice.

Her face paled. She simply offered the defense of “I’m saying something now.”

He wanted to hit something. He wanted to smash and destroy and howl. He settled for pacing back and forth, trying to burn off this anger. He couldn't lose control like this. Ben had warned him of the damage he could do without thinking. But the level of this betrayal was so vast, Luke was sure that Ben couldn’t understand the depths of this pain. How could he not want to scream at the skies over thisl?

She wasn’t the only one. There was no way she was the only one. His alternate had to learn it from someone. His temper was beating on the inside of his head in time with his wildly beating heart. That anger needed to go somewhere. He began purging his emotions into the Force. Maybe if he threw enough of his anger into it, he could rid himself of enough of it to think.

“Who else knows Leia?” he snarled, meaner than he intended. It was so hard to keep control, and maybe, just maybe, there was a small childish part of him that wanted to hurt her. Hurt her like she was hurting him.

Leia flinched as if he hit her. He wasn’t going to give her time to think her way out of this one. This was his life, and he deserved to know.

He screamed “Who?”

“My parents,” she said. Luke felt himself nodding like a puppet, trying to bury the hurt in his heart. He thought they had cared about him, beyond the fact that he was Leia’s brother. He shoved that aside for now. He could lick his wounds about that later. Now he wanted answers. She paused, minutely, then her eyes dropped to the ground “Obi-Wan.”

That stopped Luke cold. “Obi-Wan knew too?” he found himself repeating her.

_No, no, no, no, no._

Those words of denial built in his throat, stealing away the power of his voice. He found himself saying, in a soft lost tone. “That can’t be right. He’s been encouraging me to kill Vader.” Would Ben really set him up to kill a man he claimed he loved? Luke’s focus narrowed in on his sister “He told me that he and our father were close. Was that a lie too?” he asked accusingly.

Leia looked at him helplessly “No, as far as I can tell they were.”

Ben had spent twenty years on Tatooine. He came from the Jedi, who, from what Luke understood, had been raised communally in the temple, blood ties of little importance to them. That tie wasn’t something Ben seemed to understand. At least that’s what Luke thought, given Ben’s voiced concerns about Luke and Leia’s relationship.

Still, Ben had been on Tatooine long enough, he had to understand what he was asking Luke to do. This was the oldest slaver trick there was. To separate a family, to lie about that act, until the poor slave believed that reality. The slave who would turn his back on the ones who should have been his comfort. The slave who was tricked into killing all ties to his old life.

_Kin killer, you were a kin killer._

Luke’s voice was hoarse “He’s been encouraging me to kill my own father?”

Leia’s eyes filled with worry but she answered “Yes.”

”No,” Luke searched for anything, something, to keep his world spinning. He thought he had found a family, thought he had found people who would respect and love him. Alderaan’s culture put a high value on family. He knew that. It was one of the things he most loved about Leia, and her parents. And Ben, he had said the Jedi was his home. Not blood, but Luke knew that home was family, no matter what word you used.  

To learn that none of them cared, that they were twisting him to their own ends. “You must be mistaken. There is no way Ben would do that to me.”

Leia’s voice was still gentle. “Who do you think put him in that suit Luke?”

Luke felt like he had walked into a sandstorm naked, but the winds were whirling inside of him, cutting through everything he thought he understood. The Force, that energy that up till just a short while ago he didn't even know existed, came to his frantic call. It didn’t work as he wished. There was no soothing in it, just the hot fire of his anger, amplifying everything he was feeling. How many people had lied to him?

“Did Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru know? Did everyone in my life that claimed to love me lie to me?” he howled, trying to see where his new place in the galaxy was. Did they know whose son they had let into their lives? Whose son they had sacrificed the existence of their own children for? They had never directly said, but Luke wasn’t blind. The Farm could support three people, and barely that in the lean years. There was no water for a fourth.

Leia took a step back and she stammered, “I don’t know.”

Luke hissed.

“Don’t lie to me, Leia!!”

She looked frightened, and that was almost enough to reach through the hot blaze of his temper. But the smallest taste of her emotions was enough to show she wasn’t afraid of him, just scared of what this would wrought. Good, she should be. She had made her decisions, and now it was time to reap the whirlwind. Her hands came up in a pleading gesture.  “I really don’t know Luke.”

He was too agitated to listen to the Force to see if she was telling the truth. He should walk away, he should calm down, but he was too angry to do either, He wanted to know, and he wanted to know _now_.

He reached out with the Force, uncaring how he might be hurting her. Her mouth tightened, but she didn’t protest. The answer he found surprised him and something inside him unclenched a bit. She didn’t know if Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru had lied to him about his origins.

She held her hands back up, trying to placate him  “Your alternate didn’t know either. I told you, everyone who knew anything was dead by that point.” That was the truth _then_ , but it certainly wasn’t now.

He sneered, “But that is not the case now. You haven’t thought to ask?”

Her face remained placidly calm as she said “No.”

Luke’s anger spiked, and he threw another twist of rage into the Force, trying so hard to purge the storm inside of him “I said don’t lie to me!!!”

“Alright,” she admitted, “I thought of it, yes. But I didn't want to know in case Vader-” Leia cut herself off.

In case Vader captured her, Luke finished silently. He felt all the blood inside him turn to ice. “Vader knows,” he said flatly. Of course he did, it brought every puzzling action of his into sharp focus.

Vader knew about Leia. That explained everything about his strange obsession. Not so strange, was it? He was a slave desperately trying to reclaim his stolen child. Luke’s world came to a standstill, even his mind. Ben would be proud, he had finally figured out how to embrace nothing. Luke was just a speck, simply existing in the Force.

He finally managed to stutter out. “That’s why he’s pursuing you the way he is?”

Leia nodded.

His breath was coming in short hot gasps. He didn’t think he could learn anything more horrible than the truth about Vader. She wouldn’t tell him this basic fact of their existence, but for whatever reason, she had told Vader? No not Vader, their father. “You told him and not me?”

Leia shouted “No!!” That sharp word was followed by a wave of worry, hurt, and frantic concern. Luke flinched, her emotions feeding into his own anger, causing the storm inside of him to start to rise again. Then abruptly she took a step back in the Force, and all her emotions were gone. She had retreated behind those implacable walls of hers. Normally when she did that all Luke felt was loss. Now, all he felt was relief.

She went on, in a much calmer voice, “I didn’t tell him anything, Luke. He figured it out.”

Then a voice called out from behind him, a little bit out of breath and full of worry “Luke, what was that Force storm? What is wrong with Leia?” Funny, Ben sounded like he cared, about both of them. But that wasn't true, was it?

Luke turned, expecting something to be different about the man. Some sign, something in his face that would show Luke that he was someone who would lie like this. Who would manipulate him like this. Who would encourage him to eradicate his own bloodline like it was nothing more than a womp rat. But there was nothing there, just that lined face, with its grey beard, and tired eyes.

Luke’s temper whiplashed, and his anger rose. With Leia, he could feel her hurt and pain, every cutting word against her was like a wound against himself. Locking her reactions out completely was something he couldn’t do. Besides, he understood her hiding from this, not the lengths she had gone to, but the first impulse made complete sense. Ben though...

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he yelled. Something cold and heavy was sitting on his chest, infuriated that the man looked no different, even now.

Ben paled, and backed up from him, fear written on his face for a moment, before it vanished in a blink. “Tell you what Luke?” his tone confused.

This his gaze slipped behind Luke to Leia. Luke didn't know what was on her face, but Ben’s face hardened into disapproval. “You told him.”

Leia had nothing but defiance in her voice “I warned you I would.”

Luke was pretty sure he already knew the answer but he had to ask. He walked straight up to Ben, the better to read his face.  “Did you order her not to tell me?”

The man’s eyes widened in surprise, and then it all fell away into a blank mask. In the Force Ben became a tight ball, clamping down on everything. But before he could answer Leia’s voice came from behind Luke.

“No Luke,” she said. Luke turned to look at her. Her face was nothing but resigned weariness. “He didn’t order me to do anything. I did think it would be better if you heard this from him,” and her face twisted in self loathing “he has a better diplomatic tongue then I do. But I did warn him that if he wouldn’t, I would.”

Her expression of weariness fell away and her fierce anger came back, and she glared over Luke’s shoulder at Ben. “I did however strongly stress the foolishness of telling you stories about our Father the Jedi hero.”

“Nothing I told you wasn’t true,” Ben said in a carefully neutral tone. Luke turned his head to look at him, surprised. Nothing in that statement rang false in the Force.

Leia’s impatience whiplashed along Luke’s skin. “I’m sure it wasn’t. You just conveniently left out what he did later.”

Still nothing but placid calm from the man “Anakin is dead,” he said, grief in his tone “Vader killed him.”

Luke looked closely at him, but there wasn’t a hint of lying on his face or in the Force. Ben was telling the truth. Hope bloomed in his chest. Maybe…

Leia’s eyes were narrowed as she looked at Ben, and a look of sheer outage was written in every delicate feature. Leia wasn’t lying. Just what the hell was going on here?

“Then who is running around in that suit?” Luke asked, baffled.

Ben didn't hesitate. “Vader.”

Luke frowned, even more confused, that rang true. Even with Ben’s presence muted in the Force, it felt true. “And who put him there?”

Luke could feel the howl of pain and grief break through that tight reign Ben had on himself. It was the sound of a storm ripping through the desert, destroying everything in its path. Then, worryingly, all traces of it were gone in a split second. “I did,” he said, not a trace of emotion on his face.

Luke looked at him, and then back to Leia, unsure what to believe. Why the pain? Yes, Vader had been his student, but so had Luke’s father. Did Ben not grieve for the man Vader murdered? Of course, he did. It was written underneath every word he spoke about Luke’s father. So Ben truly believed that Vader had murdered Anakin.

Leia wasn't lying though. Even outside of the Force, Luke knew this was not a matter she would make jokes about, or trivialize for some gain. Not about Vader, a man she feared.

Leia, as always, seized back control as Luke looked helplessly back and forth between the two of them. “What is Vader’s birth name?” she demanded.

Ben look taken aback at that question, and for a moment, a flicker of _something_ ran across the man’s shields. But he repeated, stubbornly “Vader.”

Luke expected exasperation, frustration, or yelling from Leia. Instead, her voice gentled. She corrected him by saying “No, it’s Anakin Skywalker.”

Luke looked at her, there was nothing on her face except extreme sympathy. Others would look at it and only see kindness, but Luke could feel Leia’s thoughts whirring. Whatever argument she was marshaling, in no way would it be kind. She came toward to the two of them, every word a gentle stab.

“Anakin Skywalker is in that suit. You fought with him on Mustafar. I assume you removed his arms, given that they are both cybernetic, and probably his legs too, but I don’t have confirmation that they are mechanical. Then, instead of doing the smart thing and putting him out of all of our misery, including his own, you left him to burn on that planet, probably thinking no one could survive that.”

Luke swallowed, Obi-Wan had left his father like that? Even in the desert the Hutt’s would kill someone who was dying of thirst if they came across them. There were things you simply did not do.

“But he did,” and here her face twisted into bitterness “or Palpatine made sure he did because I sincerely doubt Vader designed that suit he got stuffed into, in the condition he was in.”

Leia paused for a moment as if realizing she was on the verge of losing that gentle tone. Luke could feel her frustration bubbling underneath that strange hypnotic tone. “And somehow, in the middle of that mess, our mother was involved. He hurt her, she gave birth to us, and died. That is what happened.”

Ben looked like she had slapped him, and his denial, _denial,_ was ringing in the Force. Luke’s heart cracked for him. In the Force, Ben felt like a vibrating blade, so close to fracturing apart into a million pieces.

Leia’s face hardened, merciless “Play whatever word games you like with yourself Obi-Wan, but don’t you dare play them with Luke.”

Ben’s voice cracked. “This is not a game. My Anakin is dead!”

Triumph flickered in Leia’s eyes. Luke wanted to beg her to stop this, to think about what she was doing. She was so involved in getting Ben to whatever truth, she wasn’t realizing how much she was hurting him. Leia wasn’t a cruel person, but she could be single-minded in her pursuit of what she wanted. Luke supposed he wasn’t much better. He might not be the one pushing Ben like this, but he also wanted to know, so he said nothing to stop this.

“Really?” Leia’s voice was back to its calm prodding “Then why did you refuse to kill Vader on Mustafar? What stopped you?”

“Your mother was hurt. I didn’t have time.” Panic was written across that normally calm face, but Luke wasn’t sure if it was because he was forcing himself to remember a horrific time, or because Leia was right. Ben had told Luke that Vader had hurt his mother on Mustafar. But if their father was a Vader, then that was all a lie? Did he not just hurt her, but kill her?  

Leia gave a rueful smile, and she walked up to Ben, until they were barely a foot apart “And what precisely, was she doing on Mustafar?” she pressed. Luke could see the man start in shock, “A senator of the Old Republic?”

“Imperial,” Ben corrected, as if that was the important part here “It was Imperial by then.”

Leia did not get distracted. She took another step to Ben, chin coming up so she could maintain eye contact. Ben almost took a step back, but caught himself from retreating from her. “What was she doing there Obi-Wan?”

“She thought she could save -” but Ben cut himself off as his eyes met Luke’s. Luke could feel the whiplash of Leia’s impatience, but all he could sense from Ben was a writhing maw of confusion and pain.

Leia’s voice didn’t reveal her impatience. “Save who? Anakin?”

Ben’s gaze didn’t leave Luke’s. He was silently pleading with Luke to stop this. In any other circumstance, Luke would find this funny. His sister was so small, and Ben was not a short man, but he looked as if she was the scariest thing he had ever encountered.

Leia continued on, “She wanted to save Anakin from a Sith Lord?” she let out a harsh laugh “How exactly was she planning on doing that? A politician against a trained dark side user? I don’t know much about our mother, but I do know she couldn't have possibly been that foolish.”

Then she whispered softly, going for the kill “Or was Anakin already dead by that point?”

At that, Ben’s gaze left Luke’s and swung to Leia “Of course he was dead by then!!!” Ben’s voice rose into a near shout “I don’t know what she thought she could do! I should have stopped her, but I needed her to lead me to him, but I never thought he would-” His voice faltered.

Compassion and pity were in Leia’s eyes, but she only said “What? Hurt her?”

Ben closed his eyes briefly, then reopened them to stare down at his sister “He was dead.”

Leia's face twisted, and Luke could feel her fear edging her on, as she spat “For a dead man he seems awfully eager to claim his daughter.”

Ben’s emotions were broadcasting so loudly Luke began to feel a headache coming on, “He’s dead Leia! My brother vowed never to kneel in subservience to another again. My brother would never have murdered the defenseless younglings in the Jedi Temple!!”

Luke swayed. Children? His father had slaughtered children?

“My brother would not have harmed a hair on Padme’s head. Everything that made up my brother is gone!”

Is gone, not was. Luke’s eyes narrowed at that slip. Leia noticed too. “No he is not!!!” she said, fists balled up at her sides. “Twenty-five million credits Obi-Wan.”

Ben took a step back now. Luke didn’t blame him, this Leia was all icy rage and righteousness. “That is the bounty Vader put on my head. Alive and unharmed. Does that sound like someone who wants to repudiate everything he once was?”

“Vader, Anakin, what you call him doesn't matter. He’s the tall one, dressed in head to toe black body armor, running around doing the gods only knows what in the name of the Empire. But that doesn’t change the fact that he was born on Tatooine, that he was your student, your brother, a Jedi, and the fact that he’s trying to retrieve me like some sort of lost possession he misplaced. It’s still him. Twisted, warped and distorted, but _him_.”

Ben’s face was pale. “But it can’t be.”

Luke was afraid Leia might punch him she looked so frustrated “Why?” she demanded.

Ben looked as if the words were being dragged out of him. “Because how can I still love and miss him, when I know such a monster is currently living in his skin!?!”

The last hope that someone had made a terrible mistake died in Luke at those words. Living in his skin. Leia had been right. Their father was alive. Their father was Vader. Their father killed their mother. Their father had killed children. Their father was a slaver.

Nausea rose up in Luke’s stomach. “I need to go,” he said blankly.

Both of them turned their heads to look at him, startlement on their faces. Had they been so wrapped up in their fight they had forgotten he was there?

Leia recovered first, “Luke-” she said, reaching for him.

Luke felt his anger lick across his skin, and he hastily took a step back. If she touched him right now, all his rage, pain, and abandonment would come pouring out of him. It would create a wound he wasn’t sure would ever heal between them.

“I can’t-” he started to say, and trailed off and left unsaid _“let you touch me_ .” He looked at Obi-Wan, whose mournful eyes met his. “I don’t-” _know what to do with you._

There was hurt and pain in Leia’s eyes as she offered “Luke I’m sorry.”

Luke’s bitterness, which had been there since the beginning of this nightmare, rose up through his shock “Sorry for what Leia? Sorry for not speaking up? Sorry for not telling me when I first asked? Sorry for letting me go in on that mission blind? Sorry for letting me put us all in grave danger?”

He didn’t recognize the sound of his own laugh as it escaped his throat. “I wasn’t easy about keeping Rex, Han, and Chewie in the dark about what we knew, I just never considered you would do that to me too.” That Leia could be ruthless wasn’t a surprise. That she would turn that ability against him was.

Then he looked at Ben. At the man who had watched him grow up, who knew who he was. Or Luke thought Ben understood who he was. Apparently, he had been wrong. “Or that you would be heartless enough to try to have me kill my own father.”

“Luke I-” Ben started to say.

Luke cut him off. “Were you ever going to tell me?” he didn’t know why he was bothering to ask. He knew the answer. It was his stupid heart, and it’s treacherous hope that had him opening his mouth.

Ben said nothing, just looked at Luke with profound regret. Luke let out a laugh at his own foolishness and turned away.

Ben’s voice followed him. “I didn’t mean -”

“Don’t.” Luke cautioned, “Just don’t.” He didn't want to hear anything the old man had to say. He didn't care what Ben _thought_ he was doing, he had set him up to kill his own father. That would be Luke’s burden to bear, not Ben's, and he had no right to take that choice from him.

He turned to face both of them. They both wore the same looks of pleading. For him to understand. For him to forgive them. That wasn’t something he could do.

“I need to be away from you both. I need to think. I just need….” For all of this to be some horrible dream.

He walked away, heading towards the temple, his heart shattered.

 

Luke was fairly certain he completed his rotation on the CAP. At least he remembered leaving his X-Wing, R2 trailing behind him. He stood there on the ground, as the droid rolled away.

Luke didn’t know where to go or what to do. Everything was behind this red rage that made things seem not real. He wondered if this was what shock felt like.

That was when he spotted the Falcon.

Han. Han was someone else who was in the dark about this. Han was someone who liked him, genuinely liked him. Not because he was a weapon, or some savior of the great Jedi Order.

He stalked over to the Falcon, his boots echoing harshly on the ramp as he entered the ship.

“Han?” he called out.

“Yeah?” came a voice floating from underneath the floor.

“Mind if I stay here for a bit?”

“Sure,” Han said, “Want to give me a hand with this wiring?”

Luke walked over to the dejarik table and sat in the booth. “Not a good idea. My uncle always said that if you weren’t paying attention when you were doing repairs it would kill you.”

There was a long pause, then Han’s head popped up from the mechanical pit. He took in Luke, still in his orange flight uniform and his eyes widened. “What happened?”

“Nothing,” Luke said dismissively, “Or everything. I can’t tell.”

Han pulled himself up into the main floor of the Falcon, and pulled the grate back over the hole. “Yeah that doesn’t look like a nothing face,” he said.

Luke huffed. “Did you ever have a day where you woke up and thought you knew what was going to happen? And then everything went to hell before you could draw in a breath to think?” He looked at Han pleadingly “Because I’ve had several of those in the last two months.”

Han froze at that, and then pulled a rag out of his back pocket. “Yeah, I’ve had that happen,” he said cautiously, wiping his hands.

“What did you do?” Luke asked bewildered.

“Oh, that is a question that needs drinks to answer.” Han finished cleaning his hands and went to one of the storage cabinets. He grabbed a nearly full bottle, and two glasses from it, and came to the table, plopping them both down.

Luke looked at the items warily. Han filled both glasses with the amber liquid and slid a cup over to him.

Han grabbed his own glass and took a sip. When Luke just frowned at his, Han asked “You drink?”

Luke looked at the cup forlornly and shook his head. “Only twice.”

Han looked startled “Really?”

Luke nodded grimly “Once when I was fourteen. It was some swill Biggs made”  Luke's face crinkled in distaste “It tasted awful. And his mother gave him the tongue lashing of his life when she found out he wasted water that way.”

“And the second time?”

“When I turned sixteen. Uncle Owen took me to Anchorhead and bought me one drink. Said I should have one at least once in my life, and when there was someone there I trusted to watch my back. He warned me, it wasn’t worth the water to make it.” Luke’s face scrunched up in fond amusement “And if I got a taste for it, there were easier ways to die.”

Han frowned “Why does every lesson that man gave you end with you dying?”

Luke gave him a flat look “It’s Tatooine. Everything will kill you.”

Han gave a wry chuckle “Well, you aren’t wrong about that.” He pointed a finger at Luke “But you ain’t on Tatooine anymore, there is plenty of water to go around.”

Luke looked at the drink, wondering what Aunt Beru would say. Who cared? She was dead, and lied to him his whole life. He picked it up, and in one swallow gulped it all down.

“Hey!” Han protested “That isn’t some rot got. That is fine Corellian brandy.”

Luke’s chest felt like it was on fire. He didn’t have the heart to tell Han it tasted about the same to him as Bigg’s swill had.

“So what is all this about?” Han asked, looking curious as he took a small sip of his own drink. “Does this have anything to do with how wrecked Leia looked earlier today?”

Somehow it didn't surprise Luke that Han had seen Leia. And that she had said nothing about what happened out in the jungle.

“She lied to me,” Luke said bitterly, looking into the glass, trying to get the taste out of his mouth “Do you have any water?” he whined, “My throat is on fire.”

“Sure,” Han said, getting up and walking over to retrieve a canteen. He handed it to Luke, who took a grateful gulp.

“Blah,” he said, “why do people drink this?”

Han smirked, “Have another and you’ll figure it out fast.”

“You don’t drink,” Luke observed.

Han shrugged and settled himself back into the booth “Not often, no.”

“Why?” Luke asked, gently curious.

“Makes you sloppy. And sloppy smugglers are dead smugglers” He gave Luke a smirk “And I like being alive.”

He almost hadn’t been. If Leia hadn’t thrown herself in front of Han, bringing him down, that shot would have gone right through his heart.

“So, Leia lied to you?” Han asked, after a few moments of silence.

Luke nodded miserably. “They all did.”

“They who?”

“Ben, Bail, Breha, hell even Mon for all I know. Could be the whole damn Alliance leadership known, except for the stupid farm boy.” Luke pointed his thumb back at himself sarcastically.

Han put his glass back down on the dejarik table, concern on his face. “You okay Luke?”

Luke frowned, “I’m so mad,” he whispered.

“Okay, I got that with how you stormed in here,” Han said.

“But I can’t be,” Luke said

“Why?”

“Because Jedi don’t get mad,” he said, then he hiccuped. “If they get mad, bad things happen.” Like falling to the Dark Side, killing your wife, and abandoning your children.

Han frowned “Luke, did you eat today?”

Luke tilted his head, thinking back over his day. “I had breakfast,” he said.  

Han swore, “Great.”

“Why?” Luke asked, “Is that important?”

Han gave him an amused smile, “Not anymore, no.”

“Okay,” Luke felt like he was floating. Oh, he was still furious, but it was behind this wall of laziness. He just couldn’t bother to care.

“Can I have another?” he asked

Han pushed the decanter towards him “Sure.”

Luke poured himself another glass. The liquid went down much easier this time.

“So what did Leia lie to you about?” Han asked casually.

Luke shook his head “Top secret.” he muttered, “Not supposed to tell.”

“Not even to me?” Han gave him a look of wounded dignity.

Luke shook his head “No, cause it’s bad. Like you would be tortured if you knew bad.”

Han gave him a slightly disbelieving look. “Really?”

Luke nodded, miserable.

Han frowned “And Leia lied to you about this? Kept it from you?”

Luke's shoulders hunched and he took another gulp of the brandy. He nodded.

Han looked confused “Doesn’t strike me as Leia’s style. You two are pretty tight,”

“Well, I thought we were,” Luke said, the anger rising up in him so fast he felt light-headed, or maybe it was the drink, “but I found out differently today.”

Han put his hands up defensively “Okay, Okay I believe you,” he said reassuringly.

Luke’s throat clogged and the anger disappeared only to be replaced with a bone-deep weariness.

“I thought I found a home,” he said, “My old one burned down, and I thought that the galaxy just gave me a new one to help me with the loss of that one.” Luke sneered “Should have known better. Uncle Owen always said nothing in life was ever free.”

“No,” Han said, “It isn't.”

Luke looked at him “What did you do?”

“Do?” Han asked.

“You said that you knew what I was talking about. That you had a day where everything changed.”

Han’s mouth twitched “Yeah, I did.” He took a long sip of his drink “I was even foolish enough to think, for a while, I had found someplace where I belonged to. Of course, it all blew up in my face.”

Luke blinked “What happened?”

Han’s face grew sad “That home wasn’t worth selling my soul for.”

Luke made an inquiring noise. Han looked at him, then sighed. “I was in the Imperial Navy. I didn’t join because I was a believer. I joined because I was desperate. I had no money, no family, and no friends. And I wanted to fly. They offered me that and all I had to do was obey orders. Shouldn’t be that hard right?”

Han went silent for a moment, his hand moving his glass in a swirling motion “Of course it all went fine until I was ordered to transport some supplies to some base. Didn’t really think much of it, although that kinda run was a bit below my skill set.”

He took a long swig of his drink “Then I saw what the “supplies” really were.”

Luke blinked “Slaves,” he breathed.

Han nodded, “And that was when I decided that whatever the Empire offered, it wasn’t worth my soul.” He snorted “I’ve done a lot of shit in my life, but even I draw the line there.”

“I’m sorry,” Luke said, “That couldn’t have been easy.”

Han shrugged “No, but it was worth it.”

Luke hunched, wondering about that. Yeah, things had gotten lean on the farm, but he had never had to take care of himself on his own. His family had always been there. And was he any different than Han? Wanting to go to the Academy because it offered him a way out? He should never have wanted that. He had a family, a family that loved him.

Or did they? Did they lie to him too? Leia said she wasn’t sure. But Ben might know.

Luke rolled his shoulders at the sudden tightness in them at the thought of Ben and Leia.

“Thinks she’s so smart,” he grumbled, only half aware he was talking out loud. “Thinks she knows everything. Knows what’s best for _everyone_.” He took another sip of his drink. Han was right, the second one tasted much better.

“I guess you’re talking about Leia?” Han asked.

Luke waved his hand in the air “Obviously.”

Han leaned over and refilled his drink. Luke noticed Han’s glass was still half full. “She is bossy,” Han said, agreeing with him.

Luke looked at Han carefully. “You like the fact that Leia’s bossy,” he said wonderingly.

A slight blush crept up Han’s face, but he only said “Yeah I do Kid. Haven’t the faintest clue as to why.”

Luke’s mouth twitched in a smile, then it turned into a frown “Then why haven’t you said anything to her?” he asked.

Han gave him a flatly disbelieving look. “Really? A guy like me? And a girl like her?”

“Sure,” Luke said, “It happens.” Or had it happened? Luke wasn’t sure about the tenses in this case. Was Leia still married to Han, even though he died?

Han huffed “No, it doesn’t. Not in the real world.” He leaned back, “Doesn't matter. I don’t get involved with women who are involved with someone else.”

Someone else? Leia was gone over Han, any idiot could see that. Han was really bad at this love business.

“Besides,” Han said, “I think Bail would have a heart attack if she took up with me.”

“Probably,” Luke agreed “He doesn’t like you very much.”

“Yeah, I know.” Han’s hands fiddled “He would love you as a son-in-law though.”

Luke almost snorted his drink out through his nose. “No, he would not!” he said. Han winced at the volume in his voice, and Luke dropped down to a whisper “Trust me on this Han, he would prefer you.”

Han looked at him doubtfully “What are you talking about Kid? You would be a great match for Leia.”

Luke squinted at him. “You want her! Take her!” he cried out “I sure as hell don’t!” He waved his hand to the Falcon’s exit hatch “I’m sure she wouldn’t mind a visit from you.”

Han’s eyes flicked to the hatch, and Luke could see the longing in his eyes. Then his gaze rested back on to Luke. Han’s eyes widened slightly in surprise as he said wonderingly, “Naw. I think I’m good here.”

Luke frowned “I don’t get it. I told you, it’s fine.”

Han shook his head. “Yeah, tell me that when you aren’t ready to strangle her, and maybe I’ll believe you.”

Luke felt his stomach drop. “But you like her?” he asked. He thought Han did, but maybe he was wrong. Sure he was pissed at Leia, but her eyes on most days were too sad. She had her heart broken too many times, and he wouldn’t let Han do that to her. Again. Was it this Han’s fault he died? Time travel made things confusing.

Han’s face softened “I like you too.”

Luke’s face scrunched up “I’m flattered Han, but you're not my type.”

Han stared at him, puzzled for a moment, then he roared with laughter “As a friend, Kid. Just a friend. I don't have a lot of those, so I tend to be careful with the ones I got.”

“I’m your friend?” Luke whispered.

Han nodded. “You think I would let just anyone work on the Falcon?” he asked.

“Han will you be my new best friend?” Luke asked, “Cause Leia is fired, and Vader killed my last one.” Vader had killed Biggs. His father had killed his closest friend in the world. Luke felt the tears well in his eyes.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Han said, coming over to him, grabbing him in a half hug. “Don’t cry. I’ll be your best friend. No problem.”

“Really?”

“Kid, do I lie about stuff like this?”

Luke snuffled and shook his head. “No,” he said. “Lie about other stuff, but not about this.”  Then he frowned, “Not like Leia.”

“Yeah,” Han said tiredly “We covered this. I’m also not as bossy.”

“She is bossy,” Luke agreed “And old.”

Han frowned “I thought you two were the same age?”

Luke wagged a finger in his face “In body yes. But in spirit, she’s so old.” He scoffed and rose to his feet

“Where are you going?” Han asked.

“To my room,” Luke said, “I’m tired.”

“I’ll walk you there,” Han said, coming to his feet.

Luke shot him a look of wounded dignity “I told you, you are not my type.”

Han pouted “Why not?” he asked, “I’m very attractive.”

Luke looked at him critically “You are,” he said, “but so am I, and I’m not your type either.”

Han signed “Tragically no. I think all our lives would be easier if I was.”

Luke snorted. Showed how much Han knew. Except for the time travel, Luke’s past was just as messy as Leia’s. He sighed. “You'll be better at being my friend than Leia anyway.”

Luke turned and stumbled his way towards the door. “Thinks she knows best,” he whined. When did his feet get so heavy? And why couldn’t he walk in a straight line? “Just cause she’s from the fu-FUCK!” he cried out as he tripped over the Falcon’s grate. He put his hands up instinctively, but he didn’t hit the ground.

Han whistled, “Either I’m drunk, or your floating.”

“I am floating!” Luke proclaimed, “because I am a Jedi!” Then he lost whatever hold he had and crashed to the floor. “Ow,” he said as the grate smashed into his nose.

Han started laughing and fell to the floor, unable to keep his balance.

“I am a very bad Jedi,” Luke admitted and rolled onto his back.

“I’m sure you’ll get better,” Han assured him.

Luke looked up at the Falcon’s dirty ceiling “No,” he said “how can I? Ben lied to me, Han. He lied about everything. Hell, his real name isn’t even Ben.”

Han was quiet at that “He loves you. Leia does too.”

Luke scoffed “So? What excuse is that?”

Han came over. He stared at Luke for a moment, then he leaned down slightly and offered him a hand. “C’mon. Let’s get you back to your quarters. You’re tired and drunk. Things will look better in the morning.”

Luke felt his breath hitch. Aunt Beru had said that to him countless times over the years. After a day of fighting with Uncle Owen, or frustrated that he was never going anywhere, that he would die on a dustball of a planet, and get to see nothing. He missed her. He missed them both so much. They had been his family, and now they were dead. Like his grandmother, like his mother. Like he wished his father really was. Dead was better than what Anakin had become.

He didn't say any of this to Han. He merely took the helping hand and hauled himself to his feet. Aunt Beru and Han were right. He would go to bed and in the morning he would figure out who he was and where he stood. Between what he wanted, what Leia saw, what Vader was, and his perfect Jedi master alternate, he had a lot of choices to pick from.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation into 中文 available: [[Translation]Scenes from the Middle Game ](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12570572/chapters/28631816) by[Acyancat](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Acyancat/pseuds/Acyancat)


	5. Vader

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For ILDV, who both wanted Vader's POV of that first dream conversation with Vader. I threw a bit more in then you requested. Hope you don't mind!
> 
> Spoilers for the book Leia, Princess of Alderaan contained within. You do not need to have read that book to understand what's going on here.

Only one part was needed to make his primary respirator functional again. It was an easy repair. Fifteen minutes at the most. Vader cursed every second. He had no time for this. There was a countdown in his head, ticking away every precious second. A timer of how long it would take this abomination of a battle station to reach Alderaan. Where Tarkin would make his demand. When Leia would not, _could not_ , comply with his order to appear. When Tarkin would…

Vader yanked his thoughts back to the present. Worrying about possibilities was futile. Thinking about that would get nothing accomplished. Fixing his main respirator needed to be the priority, His secondary one could wait. It was still somewhat functional and would come back online if it needed to.

Leia would never forgive him. If anything happened to Alderaan, she would never forgive him. No matter how he wished, or could force otherwise, Alderaan was her _home_. She already had enough reasons to hate him. This would only add fuel to her fire. His hands stopped their motions on his chest. He had a daughter who was alive. A daughter who was running around, doing who knew what, in the pursuit of her doomed cause.  If only he hadn’t lost control in that cell. If only he had explained. If only she hadn’t run. If only Tarkin hadn’t sent those men into her cell. If only…

The spanner in his hand snapped. Vader let out a curse and focused in on what was right in front of him. He had damaged the tool, nothing else. But it could have been so much worse.  

He needed to focus and fix his respirator. He had already dispatched the search parties for Leia. Vader had personally made sure that it all had been done to the most exacting standards. He didn't need Tarkin becoming suspicious of anything concerning Leia. There was nothing to worry about from that quarter. Leia was not here, they could tear this base apart to its core and not find her. And the ensuing chaos would assure that no one would think to look at the departure logs until Vader erased all evidence of her escape.

Vader flicked a switch and was relieved when all the lights of his panel came on, indicating that his ventilator was functional again. Hurriedly he switched on the lever to put his helmet back on. It sealed with its usual noises, showing the seal was holding. The pod walls separated, and he hurried out of his quarters.

It only took him a few minutes to find what he needed. An empty conference room. The computer in his quarters was too damaged to be of any use to him. He needed to find a weakness. Using the computer in the room, he pulled up the maintenance schematics for this base. They weren't as in-depth as the technical readouts, they were meant only for maintenance, but Vader didn't have time to request the full records from Coruscant. This was more than enough. In a station this large, with this many moving parts, there had to be a way to sabotage this thing, if not outright destroy it. Given his level of access to places that most saboteurs couldn't enter, it shouldn’t be that difficult. One only needed to look.

The holoprojector projected the plans all around the room. Vader walked around, studying them from every angle. He had never received a formal education on this, the Jedi didn’t teach advanced engineering skills. What Vader did possess was a lot of practical on the ground experience. And although the plans were only the internal schematics, not the full blueprints, he knew there was a lot of damage he could do internally.

Nobody came into the room to question him. There were only a few who would think to dare, and they were probably all clustered around Tarkin. Waiting to see this Death Star put into use. Even if anyone had entered, he could always tell them he was searching for places that the Princess could hide. Places that wouldn’t be apparent to the searching stormtroopers.

He was so focused on his task that he didn't understand the strange echo of pain wasn’t his. Pain was the constant companion of his life. It could be useful in helping harness the Dark Side. Riding that power until his enemies lay dead before him. It would do no good now. This required delicate work and analysis. This required a calm head. The teachings of the Sith were useless in protecting his child. He ignored the pain as he had done for so much of his life.

It wasn’t until it was a dull roar in his mind that he focused on what he was feeling, irritated that another thing on his mechanical body had gone wrong. He turned his focus inward. If he passed out because he was ignoring an injury, he would not be able to help anyone. The display readouts didn’t show him anything he wasn’t already aware of and hadn't deemed critical. The Force revealed nothing within him. This pain was external. This was...

Leia. This feeling was from Leia, and she was in pain.

The Dark Side came now. Full and fast, he went barreling to the bright presence of his daughter. Had she been caught at a checkpoint? Had she been shot by ambitious stormtroopers? Had Tarkin managed to find her?

It wasn’t until he was close to that presence that he remembered his overwhelming strength in the Force. Leia was strong, stronger than anyone he had ever met. That didn’t matter. The full might of his power would be too much, even for her. He needed to be gentle. This wasn’t like the walls of Leia’s cell. Those could be repaired, her mind could not be so easily fixed

He stopped his headlong rush to her and began counting his breaths. When he achieved a sort of calm, he slowly reached out. He kept in mind the lessons he had learned when he was young. Of sitting in front of Kenobi, and trying to brush his mind for the first time. It had felt bright and quick, but so fragile, beneath the raw light that was Vader’s power. Vader gently swirled around her mind, those thick, impenetrable walls still there, but they were vibrating with pain and…. _grief._

It was an overwhelming pool of it, and for a moment Vader was caught in the riptide of it. It took him a moment to pull out, to separate himself from drowning in her despair. He stood outside those walls, trying to right himself. This was an emotion he knew all too well. The loss of a loved one. No, this was worst than that, this was the loss of a love.

_“He killed his father.”_

The husband, this emotion was all for him. She was mourning him. Why hadn’t she done this before? Then a chilling thought occurred to him. When had this man died? Or more accurately, given that time travel was involved, when had this happened for _her_ ? Recently, this agony had the feel of a fresh wound, but _how_ recently? A week? A month?

This was not anything he could fix at this moment. There was no enemy to slay. No fight to win. Only her despair. Vader knew no cure for that. He wondered what he should do next. Even when he was younger, these were situations he was ill-equipped to handle. Then she noticed him.

Vader withdrew quickly. Her grief, her pain, her rage, it was all too close to what lived in his mind. It had been ruthlessly buried, long ago, but the events of today had brought it all roaring back. It had been years since Padme had been so clear in his mind. He couldn’t afford to get distracted. He needed to finish this. He needed to find a weakness in this station before they exited hyperspace.

He went back to studying the plans to the reactor core, and the machines that cooled it. This would be where the weak point was. Even in a regular station, these systems were critical, They were usually left unguarded. They were placed in the heart of any ship, or base so that only persons with high access were allowed in there. The thinking was that anyone attempting to sabotage them would be killed in the process, unable to escape the death trap they had just rigged. Engineers who had never worked in the field had come up with that logic. Over the last nineteen years, Vader has encountered plenty of individuals who were willing to sacrifice themselves to land a blow against the Empire.

He traced the exhaust lines with his finger, then brought up the relay stations that controlled them. They were mostly automated, only when a problem was reported did a person go there. But he would have access to the sensors data on the vents themselves. If he reworked the programs and changed the value of what was considered “critical” he could overheat the station.

He did the calculations in his head and frowned. Even if he disabled them right now, it would take four days, possibly five, for a critical overheating of the core. If they used the Death Star’s laser, it was possible that the station would blow up in the process. But he didn’t have access to the heat output of the laser in the maintenance files, so he wasn’t sure how to calculate if that would happen before, or after the laser fired. If this was just something he was trying to achieve for himself, he might have left it at that. But this was a gamble too far for Leia. The odds were too high that Alderaan would still be destroyed.

What if he made sure the laser itself was disabled? The amount of energy required to destroy a planet was immense. Even if he didn't have the exact figures, he did know the amount of heat this station was capable of absorbing before it started overloading. If he disabled the firing mechanism somehow, then all that energy would build and build, sending this station into its own induced self-destruct cycle.

Quickly he brought up the readouts for the mechanism in question. It was a simple design. There was one power distribution corridor that provided the power to the eight kyber crystals. They changed the energy into lasers and shot it out to the focus lens frame beneath the weapons dish. Eight lasers all concentrated into one point and then aimed at a planet. But if he sabotaged the power distribution corridor, all that energy would just build up in the station. There was no secondary outlet, no way to reroute the power. It would be hours, not days before the station would be destroyed.

He felt the slightest jerk beneath his feet. Vader had spent too much of his life in space not to know what that signified.

Tarkin’s voice boomed over the intercom. “Princess Leia, we are now orbiting your homeworld of Alderaan. If you do not surrender to us within the next standard hour, it will be destroyed in retaliation for your defiance.”

The power distribution corridor was going to have to do, Vader had just run out of time.

 

At any other time, Vader would be pleased that Tarkin was so wrong. At any other time.

“We gave her a deadline, and she is very close to missing it,” his mouth tightening in displeasure.

“Perhaps a more personal threat would motivate her?” Vader suggested.

Tarkin snorted “Shall we torture her parents over the open comms until she comes out?”

Yes, that would do quite nicely. He would handle it personally. “If that is what it takes.”

Tarkin shook his head “I already had that thought. We couldn’t even if we wanted to. Her Majesty Breha Organa and her consort are no longer on the planet.”

“What?” Vader asked, anger burning in his veins. They had escaped him?

“Yes,” Tarkin looked annoyed “According to my men on the ground they left in quite the hurry. Almost all of the palace servants were ordered to scatter, and the rest of the royal family has gone to ground.” He gave Vader a flat look “It’s almost like they were warned. Do you have any thoughts on how that happened?”

Tarkin thought Leia had somehow gotten a signal out from this station. Vader knew better. She hadn’t gone running to the Rebel Alliance. She had gone running to _them_. Why? Dread filled him at the obvious answer. Because she knew the Organas were in danger from him.  She had risked everything, even her own precious cause, to save them.

The better question he should have been asking is why wouldn’t she do exactly that? She didn’t see them as the people who had stolen her, they were her parents. He rode the wave of instinctive fury at that thought. They had stolen her. That was the reality of what happened nineteen years ago. But that didn’t her love for them any less true for _her_. Vader, of all people, shouldn't have forgotten what people are capable of to rescue a doomed parent.

“Five minutes sir,” a Lieutenant from the weapons station intoned.

Vader thought frantically. He knew what he needed to do, but he hadn't had the time yet. Vader was not in command of this station, Tarkin was. And the man never backed down once he locked onto his prey. Perhaps he could be tempted by other bait. “Her Highness is a young, idealistic fool” he mused “But that is not true of all her allies. They might be more reasonable.”

Tarkin’s eyes narrowed “What do you mean?”

Vader gestured out the view screen “We threaten to destroy Alderaan unless they surrender.”

Tarkin’s eyebrow went up “That is rather ambitious. Especially coming from you. My understanding is you weren’t fond of anything having to do with this project.”

No, he was not. And he would rip it apart with his bare hands now if he could.

“As our Emperor commands,” he said tonelessly. “It is here, it is operational. Why not use it to its full potential?”

Tarkin looked  thoughtful “And if they don’t come?”

Vader shrugged. If all went according to plan, and the Force was with him, Tarkin would die with this station. “Then destroy the planet.”

Tarkin hummed thoughtfully under his breath, “Too risky,” he decided. “They might not come. Then we have a destroyed planet, and have no next target.”

Vader gritted his teeth. That was unlikely. Tarkin was far too enamored with this weapon not to use it again and again. But right now, in this moment? Tarkin wanted to play it safe. “I think it unlikely they won’t come. But if you give them a time frame to surrender, and make sure the galaxy hears the conditions, it will be their defiance that leads to the destruction of this world.”

“It would alienate almost every ally they have,” Tarkin gave an amused little smile “And if they do surrender, we have them and their fleet, all in one stroke.”

Tarkin looked thoughtfully at him. Vader forced himself not to move in any way. There were limited ways for anyone to read his body language. He didn’t need Tarkin to pick up on how important it was for him to go along with this. “This is unlike you. Trying to make up for your failure to keep her Highness contained Lord Vader?” His mouth twisted in amusement.

“As much as you are trying to hide your incompetence in the training of your men,” Vader said back smoothly.

Tarkin looked thoughtful unto the pale planet. “Lieutenant,” he cried out, and Vader squashed the impulse to kill the man here and now.

“Sir?” the man said.

“Get me channel on the holonet. I want to broadcast this across all known channels, and I want it on a repeat message looped.”

The Lieutenant's face paled, but he only responded with “Of course sir!”

Tarkin had a satisfied smirk on his face “Let the whole galaxy hear and fear.”

Vader should be thankful the man’s ego required so little manipulation. His Master would never have fallen for such an obvious ploy. Instead, he felt a dull resignation that this was the companion he had been saddled with. Tarkin was brilliant, there was no denying that, but he let his ego get in the way too often to truly be great. And he had no understanding that you needed to keep a small sliver of hope alive for people. When you backed them into a corner, with no recourse, that was when they truly became uncontrollable.

“Do you require more of me?” he asked.

Tarkin didn't even look at him “No,” he said “please continue your search for the Princess. If you do manage to find her, inform me at once.”

 

Vader was exiting the maintenance hall to the power distribution corridor when he was suddenly awash by the feel of a strong Force user. His head came up, and he sent out a startled “ _Leia?_ ”

She didn’t answer him. The only response he had was the feeling of a wash of great anger, and then it all disappeared. It felt like she had slammed a door between them.

No. The Alliance couldn’t have been that self-sacrificing, could they? Surely they hadn’t come here to surrender? Tarkin would try to destroy Alderaan no matter what they did here.

He hurried out of the hall, heading for the hanger bay. As he moved, he heard alarms start going off in the hallways.

“Lord Vader!” a voice called out. Vader turned, spotting a Captain, frantically trying to get his attention. Vader was ready to snarl at the man to get out of his way. But he was either brave or stupid because he said, “Thirty rebel ships just jumped into an attack vector around the station.”

“Cruisers?” Vader asked, nerves making his shoulders tighten.  

The man shook his head “No sir. They are all small fighters.” A chasm of great relief opened up inside him. They were here to fight, not surrender.

In contrast, the Captain looked worried “They are too small, and are evading our turbolasers. Moff Tarkin has already dispatched TIE’s to intercept.”

Leia was out there? In a firefight? Did she even know how to pilot an X-Wing? The nineteen-year-old version almost certainly did not. He wasn’t sure about this older one.

The Captain looked nervous, but he pressed on “Tarkin requests your presence on the command deck,”

Tarkin might as well request the sun to be brought to him as a present. “I’m heading to the hanger bay,” he said, and before the man could foolishly object he whirled, intent on getting to the hanger bay.

What was she thinking? Why was she here? Of all the foolish, reckless-

He cut that thought off as he crossed paths with the pilots jogging toward the hanger bay.

“You two,” he shouted, and both of them turned “Come with me.”

The pilots shared nervous looks with each other, then as one said “Yes, sir.”

Vader stalked on, not caring if the other two had to run to keep up.

 

He was lucky in that there was a hanger bay close to him. He was unlucky that it was on the other side of the fight. Vader kept his senses wide open in the Force. He hadn’t done this in years because it was dangerous. Especially now. Leia was not quiet, in person or in the Force. He needed to know what state she was in. As he made his ways through the hanger heading to his TIE, he kept getting distracted. He could feel her shields slip and forcibly being thrown back up over and over again. As he climbed into the cockpit, he listened with half an ear to the chatter on the Imperial end. Heart racing every time there was a confirmed kill. The only thing keeping his anger in check was the steady presence of that flame.

Then worry spiked in the Force, and his temples began to throb with the pain of keeping himself so open to that much strong emotion. Leia was reaching out to the Force. Deliberately calling on it.

“ _Leia_!” he screamed, using this opportunity to reach her. To tell her what he had done. " _You need to leave. I know what you are trying to do, I’ve taken care of-_ ”

She cut him off, and he was almost deafened by the sheer outrage in her tone “ _Are you trying to get me killed?"  
_

Vader blinked. In his frantic worry, it never occurred to him that he was distracting her. Aghast at his own carelessness pulled everything back. He finished the instrument check and sped out of the hanger bay without receiving clearance. He could hear the startled squawks of his wingman. He ignored them, they would keep up, or they would die.

 

By the time he did manage to join the fight, the first wave of TIE fighters was considerably smaller than it should have been. Thrawn had been the only admiral who had understood the importance of well-defended TIE’s. So many of the others in charge believed that having a massive number of anything could be thrown at a problem to solve it. The folly of that logic was showing now.

Vader caught a glimpse of the three X-Wings going into the equatorial trench. He gave a huff as he realized that none of the remaining TIE’s had even seen that. He dove into the trench to follow. It ordinarily wouldn’t be much work to take them out. They were decent pilots. He was better.

He was hampered by his split attention. He was still trying to get Leia’s attention. Those thick walls were stubbornly in place. Because he couldn’t see her, Vader was afraid to escalate his volume. His squadron were not the only ones above this station. He didn’t want to distract her from the enemies in front of her. This would all be so much easier if she would just stop being stubborn and listen to him.

He did manage to eliminate all three targets before they all hit the end of the trench. As he pulled out, he frowned. This trench ended in one of the auxiliary exhaust ports to the reactor. It wasn’t even the main one. What were the Rebels doing? As he pulled up further into space, to better avoid objects on the surface of the station, he pondered the choice of that target.

As he flew with all speed back to the main fighting, a static voice came over the comm’s “Three enemy ships just entered the trench. I am in pursuit.” _Now_ someone noticed what they were doing. Then a scream came from that comm, and he heard the beginnings of an explosion before everything abruptly cut off. The attentive pilot had been shot down.

Not only had the Rebels sent send another squadron, but they were also actively protecting them from attack. They were trying to get to the ventilation shaft. Why? He supposed it was possible to send a photon torpedo into it, but for what purpose? It couldn't do much damage. This was a known weakness that any engineer would know about and plan around accordingly. The shaft would be twisted, and curve in several places so that it didn’t lead directly to the rector. All exhaust ports were designed this way, in order to avoid the very thing the Rebels seemed to be trying to do.

Or was it designed that way?

Vader thought of how easy it was to find flaws in schematics he had. And those weren’t even the full blueprints. Erso wanted this project to fail. This station had been something he had been forced into help design. He had sent the Rebels a message. No Imperial had been able to retrieve the exact contents of what he said. Erso had told them about the plans on Scarif. Their impossibly daring raid was proof of that. But what else had he included? What possible weakness could he have deliberately built into this thing?

As Vader entered the trench, he narrowed his focus in on the three ships. The prickling on his skin grew sharper. His attention was now fixed. Leia was in one of those ships.

“Leave them to me,” he informed his two wingmen. Cautiously he sent a shot wide, and the flare of surprise narrowed his focus to the ship on the right. She wasn’t in the lead, she was providing cover to whoever she thought had a better chance.

Assured of her position, Vader began firing at the X-Wing on the left. Whoever they were, lasted longer than most, but was dispatched. Instead of leaving though, Leia’s X-Wing immediately moved, so she was flying directly behind her squad leader. Vader hissed through his teeth. She had just made this infinitely more complicated then she needed to.

He started roaring her name in the Force, but there was no hint from her that she was paying him the least bit of attention. His hand twitched, and reluctantly, he started firing. This was not the path he would have chosen, but he needed her to move.

His daughter had nerves of durasteel. Or, maybe, hopefully, she understood that he wasn’t trying to harm her. She remained stubbornly where she was. Vader stopped, worried that even with his skill she might move unexpectedly at the wrong moment.

It didn’t matter. They were all fast approaching the end of the trench, and then would be forced to pull up. Vader began chanting her name over and over again in the Force as loud as possible. Hoping, rather than believing, she would listen to him before trying another run.

“ _LEIA!!! LEIA!!! LEIA!!! LEIA!!! LEIA!!!_ ” and then he felt her emotions recoil. She had dropped his shields.

Now that he knew he had her attention he bellowed. “ _LEIA PLEASE LISTEN TO ME!_ ”

She wasn’t focused on him though. She was reaching out, doing something, but what he couldn’t fathom. She couldn’t make the shot, her companion was still in her way. What was she doing?

“ _LEIA!!!"_

There was a feeling of...exasperation? Annoyance? It was so far outside his experience when he yelled at people that Vader was momentarily taken aback at his daughter's casual dismissal of him.

Then like a newborn star, another Force user burst across his senses. Vader blinked. That wasn’t Leia. He knew the feel of her, and this was someone else. They were strong though, whoever they were. Between him and Leia, Vader felt like he was partial deafened. He brought his shields partly up to help dim out some of the noise the two of them were creating.  Vader shifted his attention to the newcomer. He could feel a wobble, then a sort of grim determination.

Vader’s mind stuttered for a second. This was not trained Jedi. At least not yet. Could this possibly be her tutor?

That’s when a voice called out “Look out!” across his comms. He brought his head back to the physical world, but it was too late. He had been so focused on the two in front of him, he hadn’t felt the whisper warning the Force was trying to give him. He felt something collide with his ship. He cursed as his TIE was knocked out of the trench, spinning out of control. He wasted a few precious seconds trying to wrangle it back. When he looked up, he was too far away from Leia. But he did see two tiny X-Wings climb up into space. There was a triumphant howl from Leia rolling across the Force.

Whatever plans Erso had given them, they had just pulled off.. Cursing in the language of his youth Vader beat a hasty retreat from the station. He just barely made it out of the blast radius when then shockwave hit his fighter.

 

Vader was still in space, trying to figure out where to land on Alderaan when a Star Destroyer jumped out of hyperspace. His head cocked in surprise. As far as he knew, no ships had been ordered to this sector of space.

“Imperial shuttle, please identify.” a voice called out over the comms.

“This is Lord Vader,” he replied, “Identify yourself and your orders.”

There was a long pause then “My Lord, this is the _Devastator._ ”

Vader felt a wave of annoyance. Why had Tarkin ordered Vader's personal Star Destroyer here? It was good the man was dead. Vader would probably have choked him to death for this alone.

“Who ordered you here?” he demanded.

That young voice was replaced by one he knew well. “No one my lord,” Captain Piett stated. “We came as we as soon as we saw the broadcast.”

“Broadcast?” Vader repeated.

“Yes my Lord,” the man’s voice didn’t lose its cool professionalism “Tarkin was broadcasting the battle across the holonet.”

Of course, he had. Which meant the whole galaxy had seen a ragtag group of fighters defeat the Imperial Navy. In real time. What Tarkin meant to show as a play of power and dominance had ended up looking like the worst sort of blunder. This would be very difficult for his Master’s propaganda teams to spin away.

“Search for any survivors,” he ordered. “And prepare the hanger for my arrival. I must deliver this news to the Emperor. The Death Star has been lost.” And not in the way he wanted. Mechanical failure was one thing. The Rebels blowing it up, live on the holonet, was quite another. Vader grimace. The next few hours promised to be quite unpleasant for him. And that wasn’t even taking into account all that he needed to hide.

 

Vader was in his quarters, kneeling on the floor. His Master’s hologram was above him, large and dominating the space. Instead of the view of just his face, it was a full shot of his Master, sitting on his throne on Coruscant. Vader gave his report in as clear and concise manner as possible. When he finished, he remained silent, waiting for hammer to fall.

When he finished, there were several long seconds of silence. “Explain yourself, Lord Vader.”

Vader wasn’t fooled by the calm tone. Even here he could feel his Master’s displeasure and anger.

“Moff Tarkin-” he started to say

“Is gone.” The hooded figure leaned forward. “And the security of the station’s plans was your responsibility, not his.” He could see the flash of teeth in that cowl, “And this is not the time for your defiance, apprentice.”

“Tarkin overplayed his hand” Vader protested.

“I do not care what Tarkin did or did not do! I am more concerned about the position you have placed us in. The Death Star has been destroyed. In front of the whole galaxy no less” There was a thoughtful pause “A project you were against, as I recall. Did you let your distaste of it interfere with your protection of it?”

“I did not destroy the Death Star,” Vader protested. That was true. The Rebels had blown it up before his plan had time to work.

“That is not an answer, Lord Vader.”

Vader swallowed and tried again. “The Rebels were lucky,” he muttered.

“Taking advantage of your incompetence? Yes, they were.” His Master leaned back in the chair, fingers drumming. “You allowed to Princess Leia to escape.”

Vader buried the fear of hearing that name on his Master’s lips. Instead, he allowed his rage to take its place. Tarkin had allowed his child to escape. None of them would be in this situation if that dead fool hadn’t underestimated her. “Tarkin sent three incompetents to question her” he gritted out “She escaped them, not me.”

He got the feeling of being weighed, of being judged. “If you had remained in the cell, interrogating her as you were supposed to, he wouldn't have had the opportunity.”

Vader’s head came up at that “I didn’t want to kill her!” he cried out.

“Control Lord Vader,” his Master’s voice admonished. Was there a hint of amusement in his voice? “If you had adequate control while interrogating her, as a true Sith would, her resemblance to persons long gone would have only helped you, not hinder.”

Vader stilled, and he was suddenly intensely aware of the pool of sweat gathering at the small of his back. Did his Master know? Had his Master guessed years ago about who Leia was? Vader tried to focus, tried to bring the Dark Side to shake away the fear cloying at his thoughts.

“Ahh,” his Master chuckled “Oh my friend. You have no secrets from me. I did wonder how you would handle this situation. Still incapable of letting go?”

He didn’t know. This was about poking Vader’s old wounds, not subtly threatening his daughter. Vader allowed that thought to fill every corner of his mind. His Master didn't _know_. He didn’t know Leia was a Skywalker. All he saw was a physical resemblance, and a whip he could use against Vader. For all his power, all his mastery of the visions of the Force, Palpatine didn’t know who Leia _was_. Nevermind when she was from.

That realization, that for the first time, Vader knew more than his Master, calmed him. Allowed him to think. He filled the Force with regret and shame to fill his voice. “Yes, my Master.” he intoned, bowing his head again “I should have had more control. But when I learned that she had sent the plans to Obi-Wan Kenobi-”

“She sent the plans to who!?!” all benevolent condescension was gone from that voice now. It was a whisper of rage, and icy prickles begin needling along Vader’s shields. His Master was trying to ascertain if he was telling the truth or slandering a dead rival.

Vader blinked. “She sent them to Kenobi,” he repeated. “I told Tarkin this when he asked me why I felt the need to leave the cell.”

“Tarkin knew?” was the hissing sibilant response.

Tarkin hadn't been that stupid. To withhold confirmation of a surviving Jedi, especially that surviving Jedi, was treason. Or perhaps the man’s motives had been more personal? Not a withholding, just a shading in the report. To make Vader look like an out of control attack animal. Tarkin was very good at those word games.

Had been good. He was dead now. Not at Vader’s hand, or by his doing, but still dead.

“Yes,” Vader said, “He knew.”

“Kenobi is with the Rebels?”

Vader dared to look up into that face. “I do not know my Master. I assume so. But he was not present at the battle over the Death Star.”

“Are your feelings on this matter quite clear Lord Vader?”

Even two days ago this would have cut Vader into pieces. As once again he failed to be what was needed. But two days ago was not today. What he needed to do would no longer be dictated by this man.

“They are clear my Master,” he said, “Kenobi was not there.” Not a surprise to anyone who knew him. The man hated to fly.

His Master took a deep breath “I must meditate on this.” Those yellow eyes narrowed at him. “Your failure had weakened out position considerably Lord Vader,” as he returned to his earlier topic.

“Yes, my Master.” Vader intoned

“Secure the planet of Alderaan. Seize the palace and learn what you can.”

Next to nothing, if what Tarkin had said about the departure of the royal family was true. But he simply said, “As you wish.”

“You have a week. Then I expect you to return to Coruscant. We have much to discuss you and I.”  The hologram winked out of before Vader could start to reply.

 

Vader meant to follow his Master's orders immediately. Not only as to keep up the illusion that he was a faithful servant, but for his reasons as well. It was doubtful there was any evidence or clue within the palace of the rebellion. But there was always the hope that something had been overlooked. People who were frightened, and in a hurry made mistakes. It was something Vader had used to his advantage many times.

After the adrenaline rush of speaking to his Master wore off,  exhaustion settled deep into his blood. He was surprised to find himself constantly yawning as he ordered Piett to gather a squadron to secure the Alderaan palace. This was unusual for him. He had rested shortly before the battle of Scarif. He should be able to last at least another day without requiring rest. There had been several battles over the last two days, but he had managed more on less sleep than this.

His eyes were growing heavy, and Vader knew that the next few days would offer him little opportunity to rest. There were too many things to do just to force his way through like he usually did. He needed his mind alert and focused. The palace was currently in the night cycle. There wasn’t anything that needed doing that couldn’t wait. He ordered Piett to secure the building and began the search for the scattered staff. Then he went to his quarters.

Vader didn't sleep often. He took naps. He used the Force to push himself for days. There were limits to that method though. He loathed it when his failing body finally succeeded in making its demands known. Outside of his batca tank, which contained its own horrors and indignities, sleeping was a very uncomfortable process for him. It required his life pod. It required him to sleep sitting up, so that his inadequate lungs weren’t pressured by the weight of his own chest. It left him vulnerable to the thoughts of a long-ago self.

The nightmares he could deal with. They only fueled his anger and hate, and in turn helped him reach deeper and deeper into the Dark Side. They were the most frequent places his mind went. Then there were the nonsensical dreams. They were puzzling, but nothing that left him shaking. The last one of those he had, he had been wandering the halls of a Star Destroyer. He remembered looking down every corridor, wondering where R2 was. He needed the droid's help to complete his essay on the history of the Mandalorian war. When he woke up from those, it was to ponder why his mind had linked those various elements together. But it was bafflement, not dread, that followed him into the waking world.

He no longer dreamed of the future. There was nothing in his present that he cared enough about to worry about its fate.

Then there was the other dream. It was the rarest of them all. It made them the most treasured, and hated, consequence of when Vader was allowed true rest.

Vader could never predict when they would come. When _she_ would come. When his most beloved ghost surfaced in his mind. Sometimes it was after a rather brutal day. Sometimes it was after a medical scare. Sometimes it was after the most boring day imaginable. There was no rhyme or reason, as far as he could tell. And he had tried, oh he had tried, to find the pattern.

Because he couldn't, whenever his eyes slid shut, there was always that one moment where he wondered if she would be there. He had once gone three years without seeing her. She hadn’t been there, in the beginning. She had started showing up about five years after her death. He wondered what perverse desire in his mind set this off. What weakness could he not excise from himself that allowed her always to find him?

When he found himself lying on the couch, in her quarters in the Senate apartment complex on Coruscant, he couldn't say he was all that surprised. She was standing on the large open terrace, looking out over the city. It was a bright day, and the sun danced over her dark unbound hair as it tumbled down her back. He could hear the buzz of traffic as it raced past the tower. She was wearing a deep dark embroidered velvet dress. He must have made a movement or a sound, because she turned her head, and a small smile graced her face as she spotted him. She was forever twenty-eight here, lovely and serene.

These dreams always felt so _real._ He would wake, turning, convinced she was sleeping right next to him. Instead of seeing her sleeping form his eyes took in the sight of the white walls of his cell. His eyes weak and blurry from years of seeing mostly in red, his lungs unable to breathe on their own. He was always furious on those days. An anger he couldn't control. People died on those days. And he always swore, the next time, the next time he would send her away.

The light played over her features as she walked over to the couch and sat near him. She always allowed him to initiate any touch between them. Sometimes he couldn't manage it. Couldn't bring himself to pollute that fair skin with his touch. Other times he clung to her as tightly as he could.

He thought about resisting for a moment. But for all he fought this when he was awake, once he was here, he could never resist the allure of her. He moved so that he could bury his head in her lap, and he closed his eyes, breathing in the smell of her.

Here in this place, he was free from the suit. Here he could see every color denied in his waking life. He could breathe, free and clear of the ventilator. And he could smell her, instead of the foul odor of his withered frame. It had permanently infiltrated his suit. Her fingers came up and started combing through his hair.

She never aged here. But the few times he had caught his reflection in one of the mirrors in her suite, he always did. He wasn’t sure why that was. Shouldn’t he be showing her his younger form? The one before everything went wrong? Why didn’t his reality reflect what he wished? But no matter how hard he tried, he continued to age here, and she did not.

Her fingers ran through his hair, and he could feel her heartbeat against his ear. The sound soothed him, and he fell into a slightly meditative state. Soon that thump thump was joined by the rumbling of vibrations as she started to talk. No matter how hard he tried, he never heard her.

In the beginning, they had desperately attempted to talk to each other. She heard him, he knew she did. Her face, that lovely animated face, would respond to whatever he said. The horror and sorrow as he was on his knees before her. Begging and pleading for her forgiveness. But her mouth would open, and no sound emerged.

He had tried to read her lips, but the motions her mouth made never made any sense. Once in desperation he handed her a data pad to write on. She had frantically typed a message on to it, but when he turned it around to read it, it was only gibberish. Eventually, they had stopped trying. She would only speak when he was like this. When he could feel her voice, if not hear it.

He took refuge in this small oasis. He felt battered and small. He curled himself, so he was around her, trying to soak up the inexhaustible well of strength. It had been decades since he had felt so thrown about by his own emotions. By his reactions to the events around him. For so long he had put one foot in front of the other, never bothering to look to see where he was going. Hoping that the end would come soon, but knowing it wouldn’t. This was his punishment for his failure.

Thinking of those long ago days, and the events he had just recreated with Leia he tensed. The vibrations in her chest ceased, and he could feel her stillness as she took in his mood change. He had failed again. Not only had he hurt Leia, in the same way he had destroyed Padme, but he had also once again failed to secure that what was most precious to him. Like his mother, and his wife. The Force did love to torment him with its little ironies.

He deserved none of this. Their daughter was out there, unprotected, and couldn’t possibly know the consequences of what she had done. He withdrew from her arms and forced himself to sit up. She looked puzzled. He forced himself to stare into those warm brown eyes.

“Did you know about Leia?” he demanded of this ghost.

She looked him critically for a moment. Then the space was filled with her quiet “Yes.”

Vader started and for a moment felt nothing but elation. He had forgotten. Or had he made himself forget the sound of her voice? Even in this simple short word, the sound of it almost brought him to tears. He closed his eyes, blocking out the room as he focused in on that simple sound. As he rolled it around in his head, delighting in the nuances and feelings he thought lost. He had missed listening to her so much. The sound of her voice, of the calm and reason she brought him. He missed holding her, breathing her in, his oasis in the middle of the desert.

He opened his eyes and looked at her, memorizing everything about her. She sat there, face calm, but he could tell by the tightening of around her eyes, she was braced for the storm.

“You knew?” he asked broken.

She nodded and reached out and traced his face gently with her fingers. “I love you,” she said firmly “I will always love you. But that doesn't mean I am blind to what you have become.”

He allowed the fury to shatter everything in him and jerked his head away from that soft hand.  “You are not her,” he snarled “She believed in me. She trusted me. She would never lie to me about this. She would never hide my daughter from me.”

He had told her, the real Padme, about this. He had told her about the fate of children on Tatooine. What had almost happened so many times between him and his mother. Of how families were split apart and _erased_ . The few times they had talked about what would happen after the war, he told her what he hoped for. A family, bonds, stability, and a place to settle roots. But always together. Padme, the real Padme, would not have withheld something like this. This was all an illusion and a punishment. More insidious then his nightmares, because he _welcomed_ these dreams.

Padme, no the illusion of Padme, didn’t answer him at first. She only looked _disappointed._ Then a bitter smile twisted her lips “Who do you think you are lying to Ani?” she asked. “Me or yourself?”

Vader closed his eyes. False Padme or not, hearing that was a punch to the chest.

Her voice continued on, heartbroken. “If you weren’t so lost you would know why I did what I did.”

Vader had enough of this. He got up and stalked away from her “You are not real,” he shouted “This is a trick. It’s a lie.” He head for the door to leave this mirage.

“Do you know why you haven’t been able to communicate with me in all these long years?” she asked, her voice following him.

He stopped, and despite himself turned to face her. An amused smile on her face as she saw she had his attention “It’s because you refused to listen.”

“That is not true!” he shouted back. “I always listened to you.”

A mocking eyebrow went up at that. “Oh, I’m real now am I?”

“To her,” he hastily corrected “I always listened to her. Who you are not.”

She sighed “Believe what you wish,” she said tiredly “But understand this, I love what we created together. And I _always_ protect what I love.”

Leia. She was talking about Leia. And there was something there, something she was hiding from him. He knew her tells too well.

“What do you know about Leia?” he demanded, stalking back towards her.

“Nothing I will share with you,” she said.

His vision went red, and his harsh rhythmic breathing filled the space. He brought up his black gloved hand. He would _make_ her tell him.

She looked at the hand, then looked at his face “What are you going to do Ani? Kill me?”

_Like you have already done?_

Horrified he looked at his hand. He was in the suit again. That intact body was gone as if it had never been. His vision wasn’t red because he was angry. His vision was red because he was looking through the eye screens on his helmet.

She got up and came over to him, laying a hand on the panel covering his chest. Grief was thick in her voice “You took your path,” she said staring at the lights there. Then she looked up “And I took mine.”

“I wanted you to follow me,” he protested.

Tears filled her eyes, “I know,” she said, “But that was something I could never do. She inherited us both Ani. But she was raised by Bail and Breha.”

He made a distress noise “Wishing otherwise won’t make it different.” she acknowledged. “I wish otherwise too. I wish we could have kept our entire family together. But that is not what is. You are what you are, and I am where I am.”

Vader made a choking noise. There was a soft unspoken goodbye in those words. His hand came up and he desperately grabbed her hand that was still lying on his chest. It was a cold comfort. He could hold it, but he couldn’t feel that skin underneath his anymore. The suit had cut him off from her once again. “Please don’t leave me here like this,” he begged.

Her hand vanished out from under his gloves. “Oh,” she said mockingly,  “but remember, I am just an illusion.” A tear slipped down her check and she gave him a deep curtsy "Lord Vader."

She vanished before he could say anything, leaving him alone.

 

ABA - Day 1

 

The Alderaanian Palace wasn’t the worst place Vader had ever visited. It was lovely and tasteful. It spoke of a world that knew happiness, contentment, and tried to share that with the galaxy at large. That didn’t mean he wasn’t having a hard time not ordering his men to burn it to the ground. It was a symbol of everything he wanted to give and had been denied.

As he stalked through the empty halls, he kept his sense if the Force open. Alert for even the smallest change or nudge. As he wandered the corridors, he paused momentarily at the great hall. It was calling to him. He paused in the wide archway leading into it. Something was there. Teasing his senses, and it was recent too. After a moment's thought, he elected to ignore it. It would make sense there would be echoes of Leia there. As the recognized heir to Alderaan, he imagined there were many functions she had attended in that space. But that wasn’t what he was looking for. He wanted the smaller moments, the private ones, the ones he couldn’t get from a holovid, or read a report about.  Anything that happened in that room was in the records, open for public consumption. He could view those later, in the privacy of his quarters.

The library sung to him. It was a personal one, for all that it was luxurious and well appointed. Vader was aware that the Royal Public Library of Alderaan was located in the capital city of Aldera. It had been part of the briefing Piett had given him on the way down to the planet. It had been a long time since he had paid so much attention to the history and customs of a world he was on.

Vader scanned the room from the doorway. The entire back wall was composed of tall narrow windows, which the light of Alderaan’s sun was pouring through. He could see the datacrons, many styles, and ages, housed on the wooden shelves. There was a spherical hearth in the center of the room surrounded by luxurious, comfortable chairs. There were constellation spheres scattered around the room. There was even a small collection of actual paper books.

He stepped into the room, gingerly. This was the work of generations. There was a feeling of contentment seeping in the walls. Even non-Force users could leave echos if the same emotion were broadcasted over centuries in the same place. But over all of that, he could feel Leia. The ghost of her presence, darting in and out, filled with laughter, love, and contentment.

“My lord?” Piett asked from the door. Vader had been so fascinated with the former occupant of this room he didn't even notice when the man appeared.  

Vader didn't even bother turning around. “Seize all of this,” he said.

There was a soft gasp of shock from the man. It was a small tell. Vader didn’t bother to reprimand the man for it. This was worth commenting on. In all his many years of service to the Empire, Vader had never personally confiscated anything that wasn’t related to the Jedi. Piett was an officer he could tolerate. He was competent and most importantly discreet.

“Of course my Lord,” the man said, in a smooth tone, after that brief pause. Not by one word did he indicate that whatever governor that was assigned to this planet might want this bounty for themself. Let them have whatever else was this palace when Vader had taken what he needed.

Vader turned and was surprised to see an older woman standing next to Piett. She was dressed in a simple brown frock. Her hair was done up in a simple braid, looped around her head. Vader would put her age at mid-thirties.

Vader cocked his head, silently demanding an explanation for her presence.

“This is Yelia Savon.” Piett said, “She was a former employee of the palace.”

The woman’s face was pale, but she gave a curtsy. “My Lord Vader,” she muttered.

Piett looked at him “The official plans we have of the layout of the palace are woefully inadequate. There are tunnels and rooms not on any map. If we are going to do a thorough search I thought it was best to turn to people who worked here.”

“The current servants?” Vader asked.

Piett shook his head. “Most of them went to ground when the royal family left. The only ones left are the recently hired, the three ISB agents placed to watch the family, and all the locals the Empire paid.” He looked a little alarmed then went on “I went through the tax records and isolated all who worked here over the last ten years. Then I had them brought here.”

That certainly explained the harried air around this woman “And the reason you no longer worked here?” he asked her.

The woman’s chin quivered, “I wasn’t fired, if that is what you are implying.” she said, hands wringing her skirt. “My husband was offered a better paying job at the docks of Sanctuary Coast. It was too far to commute daily, so I gave my notice.”

“And your job?”

She swallowed “I was a housekeeper for the royal rooms.” Someone who was trusted to clean in the personal rooms. Someone who wasn’t involved in the Rebellion by all accounts. The Organas had given a warning to all those who were. More than likely most had fled the planet.

He stared at her “Do you know where Princess Leia’s quarters are?”

She stared at him in bafflement “Of course my Lord.” she stuttered after she collected herself.

“Take me to them.” He turned to Piett ”See if there any other employees like this who can guide the stormtroopers around.”

Piett bowed “Of course my Lord.”

He followed the woman to Leia’s room.

 

Leia’s room wasn’t locked. Yelia quietly opened it and stepped aside to let him enter. He took a moment, then forced himself to step over the threshold. He looked around. It wasn’t small. Even in this palace, that had rooms bigger than some of the homes Vader had shared with his mother, it wasn’t small.

The furniture was wooden. It was hand carved and inlaid with gold and silver. It spoke of craftsmanship and wealth. When Vader approached one of the dressers, he could see scratches and dings. This wasn’t a recent purchase. This furniture was old, very old. A piece purchased and reused perhaps? The Organa’s didn’t believe in waste. Vader allowed the mention of that name flay his temper. They had stolen her. They had stolen his child, and she hated him.

The wood beneath his fingers creaked, and he let the dresser go before he destroyed it. He swung his gaze to the large window with a built-in bench beneath it. The window looked at a large mountain, with a river in sight. It was the perfect place for a young girl to stare out the window and dream.

Vader walked over to the window and stared at the view before him.

“Remain outside,” he told Yelia. “I will call you when I need you.” She didn't answer him, but he heard the click of the door as it shut behind her. He let the view calm him. This room would be full of pain and delight for him. He needed to be able to maintain control. It would do him no good to destroy everything in here in a fit of rage.

When he believed he had sufficient control, he turned back to study the room more closely. He noticed the various knickknacks, and small treasures littered on the dressers in the room. He also approved of the small bookcase, filled with datacrons. He peered at the titles. Mostly they were academic, but he thought he spotted a few that were fiction.

He wandered to the dresser. The small items ranged from a seashell to a poorly made pot. He picked it up, curious. He turned it over to see Leia’s name inscribed on the bottom. It was in messy aurebesh along with the inscription “Age five”. Delighted he turned it back over, a small huff of amusement escaping his lips. It was an ugly little thing, but he could imagine the fun a little girl would have, playing in the mud.

He gingerly set it down and wondered about the other objects and what they meant to her. His finger absently played with the blown glass figurine, a carefully folded sash, and a lone hairpin. There were more objects on the table, neatly lined up in three rows. But there were gaps in those rows. She had taken something, several somethings, with her when she fled. He frowned, wondering what she had removed.

“Who are you?” a mechanical voice demanded from behind him.

Vader whirled, his hand going for his lightsaber. He stilled it as he took in the other occupant. There was a tall humanoid shaped droid standing in the middle of the room. It’s features had been cast to vaguely resemble a human woman. But instead of feet, the droids legs tapered into a rolling ball. Her arms were crossed across her chest, and she was studying him with an air of suspicion.

“Who are you?” he demanded in return.

The droid rolled back and forth a bit. That head moved slowly up and down, taking him in. Vader wasn’t sure if she recognized him, or his tone indicated that he was not someone to be trifled with. “I am TooVee,” she finally allowed “I have been the personal attendant droid for Princess Leia Organa since she was a child.”

An attendant droid? What did a child need an attendant droid for? Unless the Organa’s had used her as a minder instead of spending time with Leia themselves.

“I am Lord Vader,” he said.

“Oh,” the droid's hands dropped from her chest, and she backed up several inches from him. She knew who he was now. “Why are you in my mistress' personal quarters, Lord Vader?”

She was scared but loyal. Vader would give her that. He ignored her question and asked one of his own. “What are you here?” He would have thought she would have left with the rest of the servants. A droid was in some ways easier to interrogate then a person.

The droid only looked at him like he was stupid “These are my mistresses rooms,” she said.

“And where is your mistress?” he asked.

The droid made a nervous sound, “I do not know.”

Vader’s eyes narrowed. The Force didn’t work on droids. He couldn’t tell if she was lying, programmed to lie, or really didn’t know.

“Why didn’t she take with you?” he asked.

“Her Majesty Breha told me that I should leave. That they couldn’t take me with them.” The droids hands wrung anxiously “But I don’t know how the Princess is going to get along without me.”

“Doing what?” he wondered out loud.

The droid stiffened, and came up to her full height “I am her personal attendant droid. I pick out her clothes, style her hair, and run her schedule. I am _indispensable.”_

Vader blinked. No, he couldn’t see the need for a such a droid in the Rebellion either. He wasn’t about to tell her that though “Why didn’t you obey her Majesty?” he asked.

The droid let out a whine “This is my mistress's room. These are her things. It is my programming to see that she is protected. She is not here. So I will protect this.”

“I am not here to destroy anything,” he said.

The droid folded her arms back over her chest “Then why are you here?”

If it had been a person standing before him, he would kill them for their insolence. But it wasn’t. Droids had always been easier for Vader to tolerate. “To understand,” he said, “To learn.”

The droid processed that. “I am incapable of delivering any harm to Princess Leia. Through action or words.”

This droid had received superior programming. It had just informed him, in the politest terms possible, she would answer no questions about Leia.

“I mean Leia no harm,” he assured the droid.

“Her Royal Highness Leia,” the droid corrected.

At that title, his amusement vanished. No, her name should have been Leia Skywalker. Angered at that reminder, he turned and looked back to the dresser. Those blank spots were taunting him.

“Do you know what she took from this room?” he asked.

The droid sniffed, haughty “I am not a housekeeping droid. I haven’t the faintest notion.”

She wouldn’t be much of anything if she continued to speak to him in that tone of voice.

His eyes flicked over the walls. Several frames were curiously blank. He walked over and inspected the frame. Where the data disk should be, projecting the images into the frame, there was only a blank space. He turned and looked at the dresser. She had removed every holo from this room. Why? Did she not want to leave evidence of who he should contact? Was she hiding even this from him? Was he to be denied every scrap of knowledge of his daughter’s life? Would he have to beg and plead to know even the simplest of facts?

Vader could hear several of the objects in the room begin to rattle. TooVee let out a worried squawk, and at that noise, he cut that line of thought off. His clenched and unclenched his fist, once. He could rage later. For now, he wanted to see the child his daughter had been.

“I have no intention of harming Her Royal Highness Leia Organa,” he hissed, turning back to the droid. “I do however have every intention of finding her.”

“To what purpose?” TooVee demanded. She was a stubborn thing.

“That is not your concern,” he said. “Your concern is to make sure everything in this room is packed up and ready to be moved off planet.”

Several gears in the droids mechanical body whirred “You are a thief!” she said.

Vader’s hands tightened into fists “No,” he said “I am not. I want to get all of her belongings out of this place before a permanent governor is selected.” He stepped forward and pointed a threatening finger at the droid “I promise you whoever that is, will take everything. I want it safe, and ready for Leia when I find her.”

TooVee was quiet at that. “Can I go with you?” she asked.

Vader shook his head, certain he had misheard. “What?”

“This will need a caretaker,” she gestured to the room “And if you do find my Mistress I would like to be reunited with her.”

Or try to protect her, Vader mused. Most people wouldn’t even question the droids motivation. He wasn’t that foolish.

He didn’t mean Leia harm. And his castle on Mustafar wasn’t the ideal place for an attendant droid. That didn't mean that she wouldn’t be useless. She also knew Leia. She wouldn’t say anything now, but Vader understood droids. He could change her mind.

“If you wish,” he said.

TooVee hummed. “Then I will begin with her wardrobe.” The droid rolled out of the room, exiting through a smaller door. Presumably, that was where she had been when he entered.  

Vader surveyed the room again. This was the room of a child or young adolescent. This wasn’t who Leia was now. How old Leia actually was, was a question he plagued himself with. She was a time traveler. That fact was fantastical, even by the standards in his life, but it was true. Her youthful face didn’t match the mind behind it. There was a wealth of experience and life he couldn’t even begin to guess at. She was old enough to have a son.

A son old enough to have fallen to the Dark Side.

Vader felt his legs weaken and he sat on her bed. The frame creaked loudly at his weight but didn’t break. Two days ago he had no family left and was alone except for his Master. Now he had a _grandson_ as well as a daughter. Or would have one. If Leia was anything like him, she would latch on to her tutor, no her _husband_ , with all the strength of will she had.

He closed his eyes and was startled to feel a tear slip down them. He wasn’t alone anymore. He hasn't destroyed everything that was precious to him. His child, his daughter was _alive._

As he sat on her bed, his mind replayed that entire conversation in the cell. The hostility and threats saddened him. He hadn’t been aware of the precious gift in front of him. When he got to her barbed reference to the fitness of a Jedi as a parent he scowled. He most certainly hadn’t been talking about _himself._

Leia was alive, bright, fierce and so clever. It stung that she had tried to keep her ties to him a secret. But he could forgive her that. She had no way of knowing how he would react to the knowledge of their relation. She couldn’t know what Vader would do with such a revelation since his moron of an alternate hadn’t bothered to look at her.

 _Would you have seen her if she didn't already know?_ His Master’s voice whispered.

He shoved that thought away. It was irrelevant. He knew _now_. And she did too. He got up and started pacing. Leia, and by extension her son, were his priority now. It was time to evaluate all threats against them.

Tarkin was dead, and Alderaan was safe from physical destruction. It would take all his skill to see that a competent governor was appointed to oversee Alderaan. Politics had never been his strength. He would leave Piett in charge when he went back to Coruscant. Then he would see what he could do.

Those were threats he could deal with. Removing anything that would harm Leia was something he could take care of. Tarkin had been a threat, so Vader eliminated him. But the Moff wasn’t the only problem. Leia blamed him for her son’s fall. How involved had been with that? Was this before or after he died? Was the son his replacement? Or was her husband suppose to fill that role? There was so much he didn't _know._

Vader stopped pacing. No, he didn't know the details. He did have one fact. She had said the Emperor had been involved. That her son had poison whispered into his ear. Vader was aware of the beguiling lies Palpatine was capable of. The words that spread like an infection through the mind.

Her son fell because of his Master. His Master was the threat to Leia. It didn’t matter if Vader was successful in hiding his connection to her. Palpatine was a threat to his grandson.

Vader stopped. And all threats to his family needed to be eliminated.

He swayed. He knew it was the Sith way. He had told Leia that himself. The Apprentice challenges the Master. He had never had the desire. Vader hated the Emperor. With everything in him, he hated the man. But his Master was all he had left. If he killed him, what purpose would he have? Vader didn't want to rule. He wasn’t made for it.

 _But Leia is._ The Dark Side whispered.

He looked around the room. As much as he hated that Leia had been taken, he couldn’t argue with the results. The Organa’s had trained her well. She was capable, magnetic, resourceful, and held a vision of how the galaxy should be. A just and fair vision.

She would make a great and mighty Empresses.

He pondered that thought for a moment. Imaging the galaxy under Leia’s hand, him at her side. As he once offered to her mother.

Leia would angrily slap any offer away. Her morals, her inflexible morals were an obstacle. With time he was sure he could persuade her that this path was better than the one she had already walked. No, the sticking point was _him._

She had no reason to trust him. His motives, or his loyalty. His alternate had destroyed any hope of that. Vader hissed his teeth. It wasn’t _fair._

No matter, it was that it was. He needed to convince Leia of his sincere intent. To do that he needed to find her. In the duration, he would take as many steps as he could to protect that what she held dear. Even if it meant capturing the Organa’s instead of executing them. Until he could convince her otherwise.

She was a child. His child, no matter how old she was. And he would lay the galaxy at her feet.

He stalked out of the room and threw open the door. Yelia jumped a bit at his sudden appearance.

“Pack everything in that room,” he instructed her.

The woman stared at him “And the closet?” she asked.

“It is being seen to,” he said. “The droid is to remain with the items.” He leaned forward “And she does know what is suppose to be there. If even one item is missing from her final inventory, I will hold you responsible.”

“Yes, Lord Vader,” Yelia said through chattering teeth.

TooVee was annoying, and tight lipped about Leia. That was loyalty that should be rewarded, not destroyed by his own jealousy. There were other ways to learn about the child his daughter had been. He would start with the small market town that was near the palace. There should plenty of people there who didn’t share the droids fierce loyalty. It was time to find out who his daughter really was.

 

ABA - Day 3

 

Vader was meditating when he heard it. A wrenching cry out in the Force. It was of pain, of loss, of a grief so deep he could feel even in his nonexistent bones. He knows the presence of the one it came from. He has been reaching out every night for the last three days, hoping to get her attention.

Vader didn't even think of what his likely reception would be. He just reaches out. To touch that mind. To offer to kill whatever had caused this pain. He expects resistance, as he had encountered every other time. Instead, he stumbles straight into the remains of a battlefield.

Vader blinked, surprised. This is Leia’s mind, he’s sure of that. His daughter’s presence is everywhere around him. It sings to him in a way no other has. But the walls he usually brushes against are gone.

He did a quick visual assessment of where he is. He glances up, but it’s daylight, and there are no stars visible for him to use to orient himself. The only landmark in his immediate vicinity is a large building at the edge of the field. From the edges of smoke and steam he can see rising from it, it had been, until very recently, on fire. There is nothing here to help him identify the planet he is on.

This is no simile or internal construct of her mind. This is a reflection of someplace that is _real_. She’s dreaming. Or more likely, he admits to himself, given the turmoil around him, having a nightmare. But of what?

He takes a moment to get his bearings and reinforce his own shields. There is no sense of anger directed at him. No phantom feel of someone pushing him away. She doesn’t know he is here yet. Given her reaction to his attempts to contact her, he can’t imagine she will greet him with anything less than open hostility.  

He swings his head around, more carefully this time, looking for her. He spots a solitary figure, standing in front of the ruins, her back to him. Her shoulders are slumped, pain written on every line of her body. He missed her in his first visual sweep. Her gray uniform was helping her blend into the blacked building in his red-tinged vision. She is an older woman, judging by the grey in her hair, her back to him. The only reason he spots now is the flash of color from her vest.

She is armed, a blaster firmly attached to her belt. There is nothing in the Force to indicate who she is to Leia. There is only the sense of mourning, or maybe it was guilt, surrounding her. He steps forward a bit, slowly and cautiously. Vader is worried about alerting Leia to his presence. There is no reaction in the mind around him. Just that feeling of lost despair.

He looks at the figure closely, and her hair grabs his attention. It is done up in a braided style, circling her head. He blinks. There are many human cultures in the galaxy who attach meaning into braids woven in their hair, but his one is nagging in the back of his mind. He has seen something like it, and very recently.

The servant in the palace. The one who led him to Leia’s room. Yelia. Her hair had been done up like this. Most of the woman he talked to over the last days had worn their hair in a similar manner. He assumed it had some meaning, but he also thought they picked it for the practical aspects.

If this woman was wearing an Alderaan hairstyle, and she was the only one here in his daughter’s mind…

“Leia?” he asks, shocked.

She whirled instantly, bringing her blaster up as she turns to face him. He can’t even bring himself to care. The woman standing before him is not by any stretch of the imagination, young. Leia is still beautiful, the curve of her cheek reminding him so much of Padme it hurts, but there are deep lines carved into her face. Some are from laughter, but most are lines of stress. Vader can only stare in astonishment. Just how old is his daughter?

Her eyes focus in on him, and he can feel astonishment and worry flick across the landscape of her mind. Then recognition dawns, along with awareness. Her mind suddenly snaps to attention all around him. She is awake and aware now. Vader got a bitter “What are you doing here?”

She did re-holster the blaster though.

Still thrown by this woman, who is so much older then he expected he says hesitantly “I could feel your pain. And when I called, I could get in.”

A look of disgust crosses her features, and she snarls. “I don’t want you here.”

Vader stiffens. Foolish he knows, to think she would welcome him in any way, but there was some small part of him that hoped. He shoves the useless thought aside. She is in pain. That is what is important here. Not his whimsical thoughts and hopes. Her pain is what he can not abide.

He wonders briefly where they are and what happened here to scar her so? A battle that went wrong? No, that didn't make any sense. Only a fool would return to an Imperial victory site, and Leia was no fool.

Did someone die here? A friend? Her husband? He knows it wasn’t the son. Again, useless questions. That doesn’t matter. Vader brings his mind away from its useless wanderings and focus on the what is before him. Given the age of her face, this is something he can change. What he knows is that right now it’s tearing her apart.   

He waves his hand to the ruins around them. “Leia, you must leave this place.”

She doesn't even think about it, just gives him an uncompromising “No.”

There was such vitriol and hatred in that statement. It whips across his shields, slicing into him, and he takes a step back in surprise. That had _hurt._ It had been so long since the open emotions of anyone could even touch him, never mind wound him. He hadn’t known it was possible anymore. Even his Master couldn’t so casually slice into him like that. It took effort and focus on his part. Leia wasn’t even _trying._

He gathers himself and puts more strength into his own shields. Of course, his daughter would be a power to be reckoned with, even in her half trained state. “Leia,” he said evenly, as he takes a step toward her. He can see her shoulders square, and her chin comes up. It is a movement so reminiscent of his wife, for a second Vader loses focus on where he is.

Then the illusion shattered as he felt the Force come to her, swirl around her, in dense layers of power. It is not a smooth move, it is inelegant and wasteful. Kenobi would have been aghast if Vader had done that and made him practice it again. Despite the clumsiness of it, the power behind it was nothing to sneer at. Vader could feel it like a sandstorm, already tearing small tears into his mind.

He steps back, to put some distance between them, and to help keep Leia calm. She only narrows her eyes and doesn’t relax her guard in the slightest.

It takes him a moment to figure out what to do next. His approach was to intimidate all before him. That would not work on Leia. That would not get him what he wanted. He had many things to say to her, but in the state she was in, he was afraid she wouldn't listen to him. Frantically he cast about for old lessons for some way to put her at ease.

_The first lesson Anakin is to show them you come in peace._

Remembering that voice was something he tried to avoid on most days. It brought up too many other things he tried not to dwell on. For once though, it was offering his something useful, instead of condemning his actions.

Vader held his hands out showing he wasn’t armed. Her eyes flicked briefly to his side, then back up to him. In as calm voice as he could manage he explained his presence here. “Leia. I felt you cry out half way across the galaxy. Do not stay here, and inflict further harm on yourself, simply for the sake of spiting me.”

She peered at him, face blank. Vader stood there, waiting for her to come to a decision. Waiting, even now, especially now, was not his strong suit. Even with her attention focused on him, he could feel the scream in the back of her mind of the pain this place was causing in her. Was she really that stubborn? Would she flay herself alive, simply because he was the one who asked her to move?

He said nothing. That was one thing his Master had drilled into him. Be silent. Only talk, only move when I tell you to. While you are waiting, you will be still. Now he only moved when he had the anger to burn or a task to do. For so long there had been nowhere to go that he wanted to be. Now that there was something, someone, it took a massive effort not to fall into long forgotten habits.

He studied her, this miracle brought before him. What did he care about what was around them? It was from a future he would rip the galaxy apart to avert. This place caused her pain. He would burn the planet itself into ash before he let her step foot on it again. She was what was important. This gift that the Force had somehow ripped through time and given to him. His child. Padme’s child.

 _“A child you almost killed. Just like her mother,”_ his Master’s voice whispered.

Almost, but he hadn’t. Because she was strong enough to fight him on the most uneven of battlefields. He was here, now, in her mind, and she was gloriously achingly alive.

Leia’s eyes narrowed, just fractionally. If Vader hadn’t been so intent on studying her face, he would have missed it. It was the only warning he was to get.

Even with that, a surprised noise burst out of him as the background abruptly shifted from that desolate battle scene to the great state room of the Alderaan palace. He swallowed his instinct fury as he saw her relax slightly. This place was a great comfort to her. It was solid in her mind, true and tangible. This was somewhere where she felt safe.

_She should feel safe with me._

He looked around, noting the detail, and fine work. It was almost a perfect replicate of the room he had been in just this morning. That control and mastery over her own mind was something Vader had not achieved until he was well into his late twenties. It was a skill that most Jedi Masters never achieved. His daughter was highly trained. No, she wasn’t a Jedi, but she was well versed in the Force.

He turned back to her, and said “Thank you, my child.”

Leia’s face flashed annoyance. “Now get out.”

The rejection hurt, but Vader was more prepared for it this time. He straightened, “I have some questions for you.”

“I don’t care,”  she spat.

He knew she didn’t trust him. He knew she was angry with him. Be he had hoped her training in the diplomatic arts would be enough to get her to _listen_ to him. Perhaps a little bribery wouldn’t be amiss. She had no use for him. But there had to be things she wanted to know about her mother. Did she even know her mother's name? Or was that another thing Kenobi and the Organa's had stolen from her as well? “For every question, you answer willingly, I will answer one in return.”

She looked astonished for a moment, then a nasty grin crossed her face “What’s the current passcode for the list of imperial spies in the Rebellion?” she challenged.

Vader stood there, incredulous. Why would she ask about that, of all things?

Filling the silence, she went on “Don’t know it? Alright, let’s stick with something I know you know. Where is the 501st currently stationed and where is the location of their next target?”

Leia wanted very little to do with him. She had made that very clear by her choice in the cell not to disclose who she was. But to not want to know her mother? To not know _Padme_? “That information is not what I was offering, and you know it,” he shot back

“That information is the only thing you have that I want from you.”

Her insolence was a slap in the face. Every word she had said spun across his shields, cutting through him in ways that even his master couldn't manage. He instinctively struck back, sending out a rolling wave of anger in the Force that would crush her. And those walls, broken in the cell, flashed before his mind’s eye.

He hurriedly reigned himself in, hissing internally at the damage his own power did to his shields in the wake of the backlash. When he had finally settled himself, he looked back to her. She had paled as if she had realized how close he had come to striking her.

Closing his eyes, Vader concentrated on his fists. On the simple motion of opening and closing them. He wanted so badly to hurt and rage, To strike down this person who was causing him this much pain. It would be so easy, to lash out, to-

To strike her down, like he had her mother.

Reaching some equilibrium, he opened his eyes and stared at her. She no longer reminded him of Padme. That look on his face was all him. It said clearly that she would die before she gave up.

He knew that Leia was his daughter. His and Padme’s, but by the Force, did she have to inherit _both_ of their stubbornness and will?

He had nothing she wanted. Except to explain about Alderaan. He wasn’t even sure in the state she was in she would even _believe_ him about that. She didn't want to hear about her mother. She most certainly didn’t want to hear anything about him. She wasn’t even interested in being a Jedi, so offering her training in the Dark Side would only get him a ridiculous laugh. And given the pain her son, his grandson, had already caused her by killing her husband...

There was nothing she wanted, except for him to leave.

Vader ignored the pain that thought caused. He was good at ignoring pain. In his long life, he had plenty of practice “That is not the only thing I have that you want.”

She looked skeptical. “Oh, I doubt that.”

“You want my absence.”  She looked surprised, although why he couldn’t fathom. He was only speaking the truth. “If you answer my questions, and answer them truthfully, I will leave willingly.”

His daughter had been raised by a politician or a cynic. With what he knew about Breha and Bail Organa, it was probably a bit of both. “What do you get out of this?” she prodded.

I get to stay here with you.

“Answers,” he said instead because that was also the truth. “The other three people who have them are beyond my reach, for the time being.” He focused in on her. She was a parent. Couldn’t she understand his simple desire to know? “Currently you are the only source I have.”

Her face paled, then reddened in anger. Vader frowned. What had he said that angered her? Then he swore to himself. His wording could have been taken in the worst possible way. He never had the gift that Kenobi did at making his meaning clear. But before he could assure her that he had no intention of killing the Organa’s, on purpose anyway, she spat. “And what do I get out of this?”

He ignored the suspicion in her voice. He ignored the fact that she wanted nothing of her mother. All that mattered was her presence and getting what few answers he could. “My willing departure.”

Leia sneered “Do you think I'm defenseless here? That I wouldn’t have trained myself to expel an unwelcome intruder?”

No, if there was one thing he knew about his daughter is that she would never leave herself vulnerable like that. Her ability to handle Tarkin’s minions was proof of that. No matter what he had implied to the man, Tarkin had been a through and harsh taskmaster. She had walked out of a cell, with three highly trained and armed soldiers dead behind her. “I would never discount you learning everything you could in order to protect yourself, Leia.”

There was a sense of satisfaction, and she opened her mouth, probably to tell him to go again. He went on before she could twist his own argument against him. Fighting with words had never been his strong suit, but perhaps the blunt truth would get her to see reason.

“But consider this, it would cost us both dearly if we fought here in your mind. You more than me, but it is a fight neither of us can afford. I will win, but the damage you are capable of inflicting would be...inconvenient.”

He let himself feel that strength around her. Really feel it, not ignore it as he has done for so long. It was glittering and bright, and he was half surprised his sense of the Force hadn’t been crippled, she was so dazzling to look at. But that also meant that he couldn’t bring his most powerful asset to bear. His ability to overwhelm anyone in the Force with his sheer presence. Even his Master, for all his clever shields and knowledge of arcane arts, was leery of pushing him too far. In the early days, he had, and Vader had almost killed him with the strength of his screams.

Leia was stronger than Palpatine, and she vibrated along the same lines as him. She had nearly killed him in that cell, and Vader was almost certain that hadn’t been her intent. If it had been, he would be dead. “Possibly deadly,” he admitted.

And wasn't that a wonder on its own? Someone who could meet him head to head in the Force, and push back. “And the cost you would pay would be even higher, even if you lived through it. There are worse things than death Leia,” he warned her.

He swore for a moment there was a flare of pleasure from her, at what he couldn’t even begin to imagine. She stared at him thoughtfully. The silence stretched into almost a breaking point.

Something like distaste flickered around her, and she said firmly.  “Nothing about the Rebellion or our current whereabouts.”

Vader felt his spine stiffen. She really thought that was what he was concerned with? Her band of insurgents? “I would not ask for something I was not willing to give myself.”

Her eyes narrowed, and she pressed on “I retain the right to refuse to answer any question on any other subject.”

Vader squashed the instinct to lash out at her. He rolled his shoulders. Leia was firm on this, he could feel her revolve wrapped around her. “I suppose this is a dictate you put on all your conversations?” he asked before he could think better of it.

She opened her mouth, then closed it. The muted rage rolling off her wasn’t surprising. What was surprising was the honesty in her answer. “When it comes to events that may or may not happen, yes I do.”

Something inside him relaxed. That was actually….sensible. There was no way the people in her life hadn’t noticed the change in her demeanor. If she had confessed what had happened, telling them everything would be overwhelming, and possibly counter productive. Even seeing the future in the Force changed it, what would actually living it, then repeating it do?

This were all things he would think on later, now he needed to focus on her.  “Very well.”

She seemed startled at his easy acquiescence, and the suspicious. “You get four questions and four questions only.”

Vader shook his head “That is not enough.” Not nearly enough to discover everything that had been taken from him. Who knows when he will be able to slip back in? His daughter is no fool. To keep him out more reliably she is going to seek help from Kenobi. And that thought burned along his old scars.

The Force instantly swirled around her, snarling and ready. “Then we find out how out of practice you are defending your mind.”

He backtracked, taken aback how quickly she fell into an offensive position with him. “Ten questions.”

Her lips flattened in displeasure, but she countered. “Five.” He started to reject that, and she hedged “But if I refuse to answer, you can ask another in its place.”

This was the best he was going to get. He needed to start somewhere, and as disappointed as he was with the outcome, he could feel that angry resolve burning in her.

He went with “Very well.” Leia’s posture relaxed a bit, and she drew in a deep breath, and that powerful wave of energy she called to her faded away.

Where to start? So many questions bounced around his head, and all of them feeding into his need to know. Perhaps the beginning would be the best place.

”When did you learn that you were my daughter?”

Leia blew out an angry huff of air through her nose. Then she said simply “Several hours before you died.”

The truth, but not nearly as illuminating as he hoped. He waited for her to go on, but she just stared at him, mouth firmly closed.

A politician. She had held to the letter of her agreement, no more. “I see,” he concluded.

He stared at that face, with the experience of her age showing everywhere, not just in her too old eyes. His eyes flicked to that practical braid. It was more grey than brown.

He started pacing, trying to think. This was a game he was ill-equipped to play even in the best of times. He was desperate to know so many things. Was it Kenobi who hide her from Vader and gave her to the Organa’s? He wasn’t going to waste a question on that. Of course, it was Kenobi. Who else could have it been?

What had happened to her son? His alternate hadn’t known, but had Palpatine ever learn about Vader and Leia’s connection? When had her husband been killed? Who was he? Why had he failed to protect her? These questions and dozens more clamored for his attention.

He stopped and turned to face her.  She still said nothing, but impatience was radiating off her as he drank in the small details of her face. Leia had his nose, he concluded, and the shape of her eyes was all Vader’s mother. In all other respects, she looked like Padme. No, she looked like what Padme would have grown into if she had _lived_. What Padme would have become if he hadn’t destroyed that which was most dear to him.

Leia, finally showing the restlessness she inherited from him snapped. “My patience with your presence is not unlimited, Lord Vader.” Lord Vader. It was beyond insanity to expect the name of Father to come from those lips. But for her not to use his name, Vader, or even sir. He had seen Padme do the same thing too often not to understand what Leia was doing here. She was putting distance between them. She was denying him. She was denying the blood that laid between them. Like so many of the families on Tatooine while he was growing up. Like the Jedi had done with their younglings. ”So may I ask what is so fascinating about my appearance that it has left you speechless?”

“I understand, intellectually, you are from the future.” he gritted out “I am having trouble adjusting to seeing the reality of it.”

Her anger fell away, replaced by shock. She looked down at herself, examining her hands for a moment, then she gave out a helpless little laugh.

“I’m fifty-three years old. What did you expect?” she asked, amused.

Vader could not share in the joke. “You're older than I am.” How cruel was this? His child, his child was older than him by _eleven years._

His bitterness and regret swirled around him. He had known or suspected Leia would be around his age. She had a child who had fallen after all. But by this much? More than half a century lost?

“So much time taken from us.”

Anger filled the space between them “I, for one, don’t regret that.”

Vader blinked. Then his rage came back. The Organas had done this. Her tutor had done this. Kenobi had done this. His daughter stood there, spitting her hate and defiance at him. If they had not taken her, none of this would have happened. “Who told you I was your father?”

“Bail is my father. You are a cruel cosmic joke that has been inflicted on me.”

She would deny him? Even here, in her own mind, him held at bay by the strength she had inherited from him? He wanted to lash out, wanted to destroy. Those fractured walls in her cell once again flashed through his mind. Instead, he settled for words. “Who. Told. You.”

Her rage flared, her stubbornness, and the briefest flicker of fear. That emotion alone was enough to cut through his self-righteous rage. No, it wasn’t just everyone in her life. She had been at his alternatives mercy, and he had taught her his lessons well. “My tutor did.”

That was a surprise. Why would the man tell her anything? How did he even know? Why would Kenobi tell this boy, and that mind above the Death Star had been young, anything about him? “His name?” He agreed to limit his questions with Leia, there was no way he would extend the same courtesy to this fool when he found him. Vader wouldn’t, _couldn’t_ kill this Jedi. Not if he wanted his grandson to be born. But there was a vast chasm of things he could do that wouldn't violate that.

A bitter laugh poured out of Leia. “When I wouldn’t tell you in a cell, where you had me at your mercy, what makes you think I would tell you now, where I at least have weapons to fight back with?”

His initial assessment in the cell had been correct. She would rather die than give him a name. “Is he the pilot who destroyed the Death Star?” he pressed.

“You will get nothing from me on that subject.” A muscle jumped in her cheek “Even if I have to condemn both of us to live the rest of our lives out as burnt out mindless husks to do it.”

He knew she loved her husband. Her grief and pain were proof of that. But to hear it put in such plain terms. Vader stopped, eager line of questioning derailed. “You value him that much over me?”

There was nothing but truth and honesty coming from her. That hurt even more then her words did. “I value almost the entirety of the galaxy over you.”

She truly hated him. This wasn’t a case of misunderstanding, or lies that she had been feed. This was about him, or rather his idiot alternate version. This hatred had been grown in personal experience. It was a feeling he was all to familiar with. “If you won’t answer that then do you know who stole you from me?”

He almost took a step back her rage was pushing against him so hard. Her hands fell to her sides, and she actually took a step towards him she was so furious. “No one stole me from you, because I am not a _thing_ that can be stolen!”

No, she was not. His own mother would be ashamed of him for even thinking such a thing. It had been so long since Vader had seen himself as anything but a weapon, a tool. It was a viewpoint that had transferred over to how he viewed everyone. Leia wasn’t everyone though. She was _his_ daughter. The first of his line to be born free. And if he had anything to say about that she would remain that way.

“You are correct,” he finally said “You are not a thing. You are a person, and your name is Leia.” She looked completely surprised, but before Vader could be thrown off topic more than he already was, he swallowed hard. “Kidnapped,” he allowed “Who kidnapped you?”

Leia looked like she was going to press him on his word choice. Vader felt nausea build in his stomach. He wouldn't lie. It would be useless in this place, she would know instantly if he did. It would destroy what little hope he had of earning her trust.

But if she asked...the thought of admitting to his past tore into him. To admit to such vulnerability? Of his own powerlessness? What would that do to her perception of him? How could he offer to protect her, and have her believe him, if she knew he came from such beginnings?

Leia only said. “I don’t know.”

The relief was so sharp that she had dropped this subject, he didn’t at first understand the words she had spoken. His anger came back so fast Vader felt like he had whiplash. He had just been called out on a mistake his own mother would never forgive him for. He was vulnerable and she was mocking him  “Leia,” he warned, bringing up his finger.

She didn't step back. He did see her face pale before resolve hardened her features. She repeated in a clear firm voice, with just the touch of panic in it. “I don’t know.”

She was telling the truth. Vader felt his anger collapse on himself. Why would she? The first thing to do when separating a child is to make sure they know nothing of their past. It made things less “traumatic” for all involved.

She went on, taking his silence for disbelief. “I really don’t. In my past by the time I knew there was anything to ask, everyone involved was dead. And I have so many other things to do now, frankly, it’s at the bottom of my list of things I want to know.”

Everyone involved was dead? Obi-Wan had _died_? How? And the Organa’s? What had happened to them? He lowered his finger as he thought about what she had just revealed, mind whirling as he tried to piece a timeline that made sense.

“You are down to your last question.” Leia’s voice interrupted his musing.

He was, wasn’t he? It’s not enough time, not nearly enough. He had so many more questions, so many other things he needed to tell her. He thought about asking who he should leave in charge of Alderaan. Maybe on how he should ask about advice on how to build alliances?  He started pacing trying to figure out what he should say.

He needed her by him. He needed her advice. He needed her help. He needed her _safe._

He turned and asked, “Will you come to me?””

She didn’t answer him immediately. Her eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open. “What?!?” she finally managed to stutter out.

“Will you come to me?” he said again. He tried to form the argument in his mind. The words he needed to convince her that this would be the best path forward for the galaxy.  They ran from his tongue as they always had in the past.

“That was a waste of a question. The answer is no.” Leia’s disgust and horror were quite clear.

Vader cursed himself for not phrasing it better “Not to the Empire,” he clarified “I am very clear on of your beliefs on that matter. Will you come to me?”

She only stood there, shaking her head.

Vader went on, trying to reason with her. “I know you will not betray your cause. I know that you will not betray the Alliance. This has nothing to do with anything you might know. Leia, I cannot protect you while you remain with the Rebellion.”

She snapped to her full height. “I can handle myself.”   

He had once thought that too. That he could handle anything that was thrown at him. He had learned, at so high a cost, that wasn’t true. He needed her safe, while they figured out what to do. Why couldn't she see that?

“You cannot know what the Empire will do. What resources will be marshalled to hunt you down,” he pleaded “Please Leia, I merely wish for you to be safe.”

Her face twisted into open mockery. “I don’t know?” she demanded, taking a step towards him in her anger “I don’t know? Who do you think was pursuing me the last time?”

Vader felt his blood turn to ice. “My alternate.”

“Yes,” she confirmed, “so don’t try to frighten me with your ominous warnings.”  

He went towards her, intent on finding out what happened “What did he do?” he demanded.

She backed up so quickly she almost tripped over her own feet. Her fear, which she had been keeping a good grip on flared around him. He stopped, horrified. What had his alternate done to her?

She stopped her frantic motion. Then hatred twisted her face. “You are out of questions.”

No, he was not leaving. He shook his head in denial.

A look of pure spite crossed her face “Just imagine what you would have done to any Rebel that escaped your grasp and you have a pretty good idea of the answer.”

Vader had so many nightmares it was hard to keep track, this was by far the worst of them.

She yelled, “Now get out!!”

Vader stepped out of her mind.

 

Vader’s eyes flew open. Physically at least he was in his life pod aboard the Devastator. He wasn’t sure where he was mentally.

His shoulders slumped. He had failed, in every possible way. He failed to convince her to come to him. He had failed at keeping a reign on his temper. He failed at learning what had happened to her before she arrived on that shuttle. He knew more than he did before, but all it did was lead to even more questions.

He wallowed in the emotion for a moment. Contemplated if it would be easier to step out of an airlock, or fly his TIE into the nearest star. What did anything matter now? She had rejected him. He couldn’t even blame her.

That didn’t mean she still didn't _need_ him. His spine stiffened. Rejected or not, she still needed his protection. His Master was still alive, and as long as that was the case, she was in danger. He briefly thought about getting up, flying to Coruscant, and just kill the old man. He would probably die in the attempt,  but she would be safe.

He frowned. Safe from his Master, yes. Safe from a galaxy suddenly plunged into chaos? Without him or Palpatine to guide the machine that was the Empire, there was no telling what would enfold. The Rebel Alliance couldn't even manage to overthrow his Master in the next thirty-four years. They had no hope of cobbling together an efficient government, even with his Master gone.

She didn’t like him. She didn’t trust him. She thought she didn’t need him. But that could change. He could show her he was not his alternate. She had nothing to fear from him. He was the instrument to bring fear to her enemies. Given enough time she would see his care.

He motioned for his mask to descend, and his pod to open. He had a path forward once more. He had purpose again. He needed to stay here, on Alderaan and take all steps to ensure the safety of her home. He needed to return to Coruscant, and play the beaten servant, the failure, to make sure his Master’s eyes didn’t stray too far to Leia. Coruscant was where he could pick up the next piece of his plan. Leia would die right now rather than reveal anything. There were other ways to learn about the woman his daughter had become.

He paused as he exited the pod, and entered his personal quarters. Leia was still with the Rebellion. She was in constant danger all the time. He couldn't rely on Kenobie to protect her. His old master had abandoned her to the Organa’s hadn’t he? Left her vulnerable while he went to hide on Tatooine. Even if he had stayed, his consistency and loyalty could turn on Leia at any moment. Her husband was currently young. Even when he had been older, and presumably a trained Jedi, he had failed to protect her. But who would he send to the Alliance to protect her immediately? Who could he trust, to defend her from everyone, including his Master? No one came immediately to mind.

A few hours later, when he was giving instructions to Piett about the royal family jewels, the answer came to him. He almost shook his head in disbelief, but the Force was ringing a soft  _"yes, yes, yes,_ ” to him. He knew she lived. Vader didn't understand _how_ , but her presence when she re-emerged into the galaxy was unmistakable. He even had a good guess as to where she was.

He wasn’t sure if he was the one asking, for his own reasons, she would do it. But to protect Leia? The last living link to Padme? For that, she would. After all, she had loved Padme too.

After he was done on Coruscant with his Master, he would arrange a covert trip to Malachor.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation into 中文 available: [[Translation]Scenes from the Middle Game ](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12570572/chapters/28631816) by[Acyancat](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Acyancat/pseuds/Acyancat)


	6. Obi-Wan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Small spoilers ahead for the Star Wars Comic # 9. Nothing big just lifted some dialog. As always I hope you enjoy!

Obi-Wan said nothing as Leia’s door closed firmly behind him, her words of warning ringing in his ears.

 _“If you don't tell him, and tell him soon, I will.”_ Tell Luke what? That Vader would have a personal interest in him? Tell Luke that Vader hated everything that had been good and kind in Anakin Skywalker? Tell Luke that he was the embodiment of that spirit that had once lived in Anakin? That Vader would look at Luke, and he wouldn’t see a young man to be proud of, only a weapon to be used against his master? That Vader was-

_Anakin was on the bank, eyes full of fire and loathing, his voice harsh with pain and his fear. He was frantically trying to keep himself from falling further down the embankment. Anakin knew, just as Obi-Wan did, that if he didn’t stop himself, he would slide into the river of lava. It wouldn’t be long now before an ember caught on something. That if Obi-Wan didn't intervene, he would die. Obi-Wan turned away, he didn't need to see this. He could go over and stop this now, stop all of this. But even now, knowing everything Anakin had done, he couldn't look into that face and kill someone he loved._

_Obi-Wan started walking up the embankment, and without thinking, he reached down to pick up Anakin’s lightsaber. He had the ludicrous thought that he needed to give Anakin another lecture about losing it._

_“I HATE YOU!!!” a hoarse scream came over his shoulder. Obi-Wan stopped and turned around. Anakin was still inch by inch falling towards the lava. But his brother was looking him full in the face. The Force only rang with the truth of his words._

_Tears formed in his eyes, and Obi-Wan offered the only thing he could to that statement “You were my brother Anakin. I loved you.”_

Obi-Wan stopped walking in the hallway, and took a deep breath. No, no, that had not been Anakin. That had been Vader. Anakin was gone by then, and there was no way to have saved him, then or now.

Obi-Wan continued to focus on his breathing, trying to rise above his despair. Leia with her obstinance would destroy any chance they had to defeat Vader. Obi-Wan understood this much about Luke, he was the child of Owen and Beru Lars, no matter that he called them Uncle and Aunt. And, because they had loved Shmi, they had raised Luke to respect and honor his ties to his father, for all they personally didn’t know Anakin.

Obi-Wan should have told them the truth. As soon as he learned...his mind scurried away from that. He should have told them. This would have gone so much easier if Luke didn’t have such an idealized version of his father in his head. Obi-Wan had tried to gently deflate that, tried to tell stories that showed Anakin had been a good man, but an imperfect one. He wasn’t stroking the fires of vengeance, no matter what Leia said. He missed his brother, and Luke wanted to know. Well, what was done was done. Expect for Leia, and her miraculous do over, the past didn’t change.

Leia had reminded him of Padme just now. So confident of her ethics and her morals, and knowing what the right thing to do was. Leia, like Padme, would not bend on this. No matter if the immediate practical concerns outweigh the harm, and she was being blinded by what Luke _could_ be.

Leia was seeing a ghost of what might have been when she looked at Luke. He had changed, by her own admission he had changed, and he might not handle this news as well as his alternate did. Too much rested on all of this, and her infuriating refusal to listen to what Obi-Wan thought was the right thing to do, and to jump to the worse conclusion about what he was saying, was a terrifying reflection of Anakin. Why, _why_ did she have to inherited those set of traits?

Obi-Wan was so focused on breathing in a regular rhythm that he failed to pay attention to the people walking in the hallway around him. One of them ran right into him.

“Oh!” she cried out, and Obi-Wan’s eyes opened up automatically. A woman, in a pilot’s uniform, was trying to find her feet. He reached out to steady her

“I am so sorry I wasn’t…” her voice trailed off as she got a look at just who she had bumped into. There was wonder, awe, and deep fascination.

Obi-Wan kept his wince to himself. Surely, this reaction had to stop happening soon. He hadn’t been on Yavin long, and he did mostly keep to himself. There were so many people on this base sometimes it was all he could do not to yell at them to be quiet. He knew his reaction was out of bounds, so he holed himself up in his room when he found himself without a task or something to work on. That meant most of the personnel on this base hadn't interacted with him at all. Except for a precious few, almost everyone on this base looked at him like he was some sort of mythical creature. Even the most cynical and heard bitten of them, like General Draven.

Even when the Jedi had been more prevalent in the galaxy, awe had been the most common reaction to their presence. But this almost worshipful attitude that was present in so many people here, was deeply unnerving to Obi-Wan. Surely at some point, people would stop looking at him like that?

He cleared his throat and said, “It’s quite alright…..?” he let his voice trail off when he belatedly realized that he had no idea what her name was.  

“Kaplan,” she supplied in a squeaky voice. “Lt. Lara Kaplan.”

“Lt. Kaplan.” Obi-Wan nodded his head in acknowledgment “And please, don’t trouble yourself.” He flashed her his old charming smile “I wasn’t paying any more attention then you were.”

Lt. Kaplan didn’t look relieved “I am so sorry sir,” she said in a rushed voice “It won't happen again,” and before Obi-Wan could reassure her that it really wasn’t a problem, she scampered off.

He sighed, and continued on his way to his quarters, wanting nothing more than to sink into the Force and release all the tensions of this day. He thought of the conversation he had just walked away from and the memories it had brought forth. All the pain too, he acknowledged to himself.

He walked slowly to his room, exhaustion digging at his heels. He got tired so quickly here on Yavin. At first, he had thought it was the muggy jungle air that was causing him to constantly seek rest in his quarters. Tatooine was hot, deadly so, but it wasn’t _humid_. This heat was a different kind of endurance test, despite the equipment here to help keep the inner portions of the temple cool.

But as the weeks went by, and he still failed to adjust, he realized it was all the people here that were tiring him out. Just having a conversation where there was no specific goal left him wanting to take a nap immediately afterward. Obi-Wan was fine during a briefing, or a planning meeting, or training Luke, so it took him longer to realize that was what was causing this. As long as the interaction had a goal, he could manage just fine. Tread even a little bit into the personal and he found himself floundering.

He was unused to dealing with people, but his solution of meditating in his room with the Force didn’t help. It was a given that after only a few hours he would find himself wandering the halls again, not wanting to be alone in his room anymore. It was the oddest swing back and forth, and Obi-Wan didn’t have the first clue on how to fix it, or even if he could.

When he arrived at his quarters, he was surprised to see a stack of four boxes right beside his door. Frowning, he went up to them. They were nice, as storage boxes went, but why were they here? There was no note on them to explain their presence either.

Then he remembered the offhand comment he had made to the Quartermaster this morning after his meeting with Mon. On how he had some objects he wanted to move to a more secure location. The Quartermaster, looking puzzled, had only asked what size and type. Obi-Wan was vaguely surprised he hadn’t heard the rumors about the trip to Nar Shaddaa, no matter that it didn't have “official” backing. But the members of the Rebellion rarely talked to him directly. Oh, they certainly talked _about_ him, but not to him. Perhaps his request was chalked up to Jedi ‘oddness.’  It had become a game of late, if only in his own mind. He would attribute the most random, and outrageous things to the Force, and see what members of the Alliance believed him.

Obi-Wan released the bitterness of that thought into the Force.

He had told the man the dimensions he would need, and that they would have to be waterproof. That caveat had earned him an inquisitive look, but Mon’s gentle stare at the man had the him curbing whatever questions he had.

He had been told that the Quartermaster would see to it directly, but Obi-Wan had been in a war before. He knew ‘directly’ meant. That was code for “whenever I see fit or have the time to accommodate your strange request, I have other duties to see to.”

Well, either Mon had seen the same need Obi-Wan did on removing the objects from the bases, or the Quartermaster was trying to accommodate him. Was he considered an important person in the Alliance? He supposed he functioned as a mascot, a symbol. A living reminder of a better time, and that the Emperor’s will was not absolute. That the Jedi were not completely gone from the galaxy despite his best efforts. He certainly didn’t feel like he contributed more than that on a day to day basis. Although he was more than happy to lend his assistance to whatever planning and advice was asked of him, there was no way he could willingly set foot on a battlefield again.

Obi-Wan sighed and keyed his door open and brought them all in. As much as he wanted to see to all of this tomorrow, it wouldn’t do for the man to think Obi-Wan didn’t care about the gesture. It was also in Obi-Wan’s best interests not to offend the man who could control any supplies that he would need in the future. Not that Obi-Wan could think of anything right now that the man could possibly supply. Any traditional training devices, or texts, or the like, were long gone.

Using the Force, he was too wrung out to do it manually, Obi-Wan brought the boxes in and placed them in a neat stack by his bed. Then he sank gratefully to his mattress and lost himself in the Force. He still needed to met with Luke later for his lesson, and it would do no good to show up tired, and angry.

 

ABA - Day 51

 

The boxes were still there when Obi-Wan returned from his morning briefing with Mon. He stood in his doorway for a moment, staring at them, and then slowly maneuvered his way to his bed. Between them, and the other four already in his room, things were feeling a bit crowded. He sat on his bed looking at the empty boxes, then his eyes flicked to the four full ones, the ones that had come from Nar Shaddaa. Obi-Wan hadn't trusted anyone on this base not to go snooping through them. Oh, not for nefarious purposes, but simply because they were curious. These relics had been poured over by enough curious and greedy hands, they didn't need anymore, no matter how different the intentions anyone on this base would have over Grakkus.

It was so little. There had been so much in that room, more than Obi-Wan had even dared to hope survived, and now, this, _this_ was all that was left of the once vast collection of knowledge and lore of the Jedi.

 _"Be grateful even this survived,”_ he reminded himself _“it almost didn’t.”_

Yes, Leia had said it had all been destroyed in her original timeline. She had bent this much in her rule on not discussing the future. She was the entire reason that even this small amount survived, instead of being a heap of ash on Nar Shaddaa.

Even if it had been a “bribe” she had dangled in front of him to keep him, and by extension, Luke, on Yavin. Leia had gotten what she wanted though. Obi-Wan could now see what she meant that the Rebellion needed Luke Skywalker, or Poe Dameron, as the case may be.

Luke’s bright optimism, his belief that they could do this, that the impossible was within reach, that attitude affected everyone around him, even those who didn’t directly interact with him. He was a focal point of this entire rebellion, separate and apart from his duty to remove Vader.

And Vader was not the entirety of the Imperial Navy. There needed to be people to deal with the rest of the Imperial forces. And those people, here on this base, and countless more he didn't have the names for in the galaxy, needed Luke. He needed to be a person for them, not on Dagobah. He needed to be a person, unlike Obi-Wan, who was merely a legend. And in order to be real to them, Luke needed to be _here._

Obi-Wan wondered briefly on what that other Luke had found as far as source material to build his Jedi Order. Or if he had found anything at all, and just cobbled together what Obi-Wan and Yoda had taught him. Given Leia’s reluctance to discuss the future, and her own apathy at being formally trained as a Jedi herself, he doubted she would give him a straight answer to that question.

Thinking of Leia, Obi-Wan used the Force to open the box closest to his bed. He held out his hand and Mace’s lightsaber, which had been resting at the top of the pile, obediently came to him. He peered down at it, wondering at coincidences and fate. Of all the lightsabers for Leia to find, it had to be this one?

“Just what are you up to?” he asked. Whether he was talking to the Force or the crystals nestled safely inside the lightsaber’s hilt he wasn’t sure. Neither answered him. The Force rarely did so in any explicit way outside of meditation. And these kyber crystals weren’t his, as much as any kyber crystals belonged to one person. They rang in harmony in the Force for the individual that they waited for, but they still didn't _belong_ to that person. Apparently, these crystals wanted Leia’s attention.

Obi-Wan thought of the dread in Leia’s eyes as she resolutely denied keeping the lightsaber permanently. His fingers circled around the hilt as he thought of the instinctual way she had wielded the blade on the door at the arena. Of how her first thought had been to go for the lightsaber at her belt. Leia could deny the connection all she wanted, but the crystals didn’t share her opinion. They clearly seemed to be claiming her.

He looked down at the hilt, thinking of Mace. Of his stern manner, and rare smiles. Of his need to protect, and the anger he honed like a knife. Of all of them, Mace was the one who walked closest to his anger, closest to the edge. Unlike so many, he had never fallen into it.

_Like Leia hasn’t._

He tore his gaze away from the weapon in his hand, to stare at the others, still sitting innocently in the box they had liberated from Grakkus. He made a gesture, and they all flew to the smallest of the watertight containers. He looked at the one in his hand, made a move to put in the box, and then thought better of it. Leia may be obstinate enough to fight the Force, but Obi-Wan wasn’t that foolish. He would keep it here, on Yavin, but he wouldn’t tell Leia. There was no sense in panicking her about this. Not until she decided to confront that what she was hiding from.

He looked at the remaining three boxes. He swiftly transferred the backup drives of the Jedi Temple archives, wondering briefly, how Grakkus’ had come upon this. In the final years of the war, they had several break-ins, Cade Bane and his group of mercenaries the most infamous one. It could have been copies made from one of those instances. He sincerely doubted Palpatine was behind the existence of these files. More than likely he combed through the archive, found what he wanted, and erased all the rest.

One of those being the lists of known Force-sensitive younglings. After that holocron was stolen to read the kyber crystal it was contained on, the Jedi had reworked their security system around those names. They had thought by splitting the device to read it, and the list itself, they were protecting the information. When they had designed the system they hadn’t counted on other Force users being strong enough to make a play for it. Of the _Sith_ being strong enough.

Obi-Wan closed his eyes and tried to keep his frustration at bay. If only they had _thought_ about that raid, instead of reacting to it, they would have put together that, of course, Bane had inside help. Very well connected inside help, who was not Dooku. The first thing the Jedi did at the beginning of the war was change their security measures so Dooku couldn’t give that information to others to steal from the Jedi. A lot of the war effort was run through the Temple itself, and there was other valuable information stored there besides those younglings names.

The Jedi Council had decided that the ability to destroy the list was now something they would have to consider when they changed the security measures. At first, it was argued they should move it to one of the lesser temples scattered among the galaxy.  If they could be struck so effectively in their own home, it wouldn't be safe on Coruscant.

Yoda had argued against that. Nowhere in the galaxy was safe, the war was consuming everything. This temple was the most secured and heavily fortified. If the worst should happen, here at least, they could buy time to destroy it. There was no guarantee of that at any other temple, they were too open, and should remain that way. Bad enough the Temple on Coruscant had become a fortress, he would not condone the others following suit.

They had brought it home and placed the list on a heavily encrypted server. At the time Obi-Wan had conceded to the sense of the move, even if he thought nothing would come of it. A little under two years later, it was the first things he and Yoda had checked when they had gone back to the temple and entered the archive.

There had been a knight, barely past being a padawan, who had several shots to the chest, in front of the server, but the list had been wiped. Given what Bail told him about the Inquisitors, Palpatine had spent a good deal of time and energy trying to find those younglings. If their parents were smart, they would have gone to ground with their children as soon as news of what happened to the temple reached them. They knew their children were a precious commodity, and it wasn’t just the Jedi who was looking for them. Although Obi-Wan had to wonder, what was worse, slavery or Palpatine?

Obi-Wan’s eyes came to the last box, the one he had been dreading. It was why he had tried to put this off, but he had people he answered to now. He couldn't just deal with this when he felt like it. Ships were in short supply here at the Alliance, and he needed to see to the safety of this first and foremost. He was lucky he had gotten the requisition approved for the shuttle, nevermind how quickly it had been fulfilled.

Now that he had a hard deadline, he could no longer put off going through this. He needed to comb through these and set aside a few that would be relevant for training Luke.

Obi-Wan reached out in the Force, and one of the holocrons immediately came up into the air. He closed his eyes and concentrated. The edges broke away, and the core square box remained.

“The construction of the saber must begin with the crystal,” a dry voice intoned. Obi-Wan’s eyes flew open and he stared in astonishment. He had been braced for the pain of an old friend’s voice. Instead, it was an instructional holo recorded almost two hundred years ago. It had the basics of lightsaber construction, what various parts did and did not do, the history of the lightsaber in the Jedi order. It was a holo _he_ remembered watching back when he was a youngling. The memories struck him viscerally, and for a second, he was sitting on the floor of that long ago classroom, trying to pay attention as the holocron went on and on. It was hard, the voice had a low monotonous quality, and the classroom was so warm, and he had just eaten a large lunch.

Obi-Wan snapped back to the present with a sharp gasp. He hadn’t thought of that class in _years._ And for one brief shining moment, he could have recreated that whole room perfectly.

Shaken, he used the Force to closed the holocron back up. This was a maybe. It had information on it relevant to a young padawan, and despite his age, that was what Luke was. But he wanted to limit how many of these stayed on Yavin. Let’s see what the others contained before he made a final decision.

He reached for another. This time he didn’t recognize the voice or the hooded figure that appeared from the holocron “Once we were brothers in the Force, but from the hundred year darkness were born the Sith,” Again might have some relevance, but Obi-Wan wasn't sure that Luke needed to understand all the details of the thousands year long war between the Sith and the Jedi. Luke could see what the Sith were doing _now_ , and that was enough to convince him the Jedi way was better. Obi-Wan floated that one into the box, but he made note of it, in case Luke, or one of his students, did want to know later.

He breathed a little easier. So far, except for the sudden vivid memory of his boyhood classroom, there weren't any unexpected surprises here.

“A Jedi’s duty is to the Republic,” the next Jedi holocron said. Obi-Wan didn't recognize him at all, “However there are many ways to interpret that duty. We will be discussing the ethics and laws-” Obi-Wan shut it down. This one could go. It might be useful to Luke in the future when he would have a need to see how the Jedi wielded their power legally in the Republic, but that day would be long after Palpatine was gone. He sent the holocron to the box leaving for Dagobah.

Obi-Wan reached for the next one and was startled as the serpentine form of Councillor Rancisis appeared floating in the air. “Fear leads to anger,” he said in his smooth voice “And anger leads to hate.”

“And hate leads to the Dark Side,” Obi-Wan found himself saying along. He and Rancisis had not been close. But he had been a member of the Jedi Council for many years, including the Clone Wars. Obi-Wan had worked very closely for a long time. He was ashamed to admit that he could recall nothing personal about the man, just that he had a sharp wit and an overdeveloped sense of duty.

Obi-Wan watched for several minutes as Rancisis went through the history of the Jedi code, and where each refrain came from, when it was added, and what prompted the change. He was lost in watching a familiar face, but eventually, he pulled himself back to his task. He still had dozens to go through, and he didn’t have the time to gawk at all of them. He moved the holocron to the maybe pile.

He was about halfway through the entire lot of them, when a well-known voice came floating to his ears. “Whoever is seeing this,” Shaak Ti said, “It’s up to you now. Don’t let our deaths have been in vain.” She reached up and pushed the hood off her face so that she was staring directly at her unknown listener. “Don’t let this be the end of the Jedi,” she pleaded.

Obi-Wan swallowed hard. This had to have been recorded the night the Temple fell. He had seen Shaak Ti’s body when he and Yoda had walked through those empty hallways, a lightsaber wound through her chest. If she was pleading for remembrance, she had been recording this as the 501st was going through the temple. There had been men in that unit that she had personally overseen the training of on Kamino. And she had to have known full well who was leading them…

Obi-Wan lost his focus, and the holo winked out as his grip on the Force became tenuous. The holocron itself began to wobble, and Obi-Wan brought it back to his hand before he lost his grip on it too. Shaking, he put it into the box to go. Whatever else was on this holocron, he didn’t want to see it. He had seen enough of that horrible night, and it had haunted his nightmares for decades. He stayed on his bed, shaking, and reached for the Force, instinctively releasing this pain into it.

The rest of the holocrons was a blur in his mind. He didn't encounter anyone else he recognized. There were just lessons here, lessons he had forgotten, philosophy, stories. He embraced the flares of grief, but he also held close the lightness and joy as the old memories were reawakened. So much he had forgotten, so many stories of the Temple life.

The rest of the holos ranged the gamut of teaching lessons to personal entries, there was even a mission report on one of them, although Obi-Wan couldn’t fathom why this mission had been deemed important enough to record. He was slowly regaining his equilibrium, and as holocron after holocron provoked nothing but fond memories, he let his guard down.

He was on the last one, and he was only half paying attention as he pondered the six he had set aside as possibilities to keep here. He was going over in his head the pros and cons of each one, and was only paying the barest attention as he waved his hand to open the last one.

“I’ve made some...adjustments to the classic Form IV techniques that I think you will find works well against droids and other ranged attackers. Here, I’ll show you,” said a voice he knew better than his own. Then the sound of a lightsaber being ignited filled the room.

Obi-Wan turned his head slowly and was confronted with the sight of twenty-one-year-old Anakin Skywalker counting out as he deflected blaster bolt after blaster bolt. “One,” he said deflecting the bolt to the ground. “Two,” as the next one was shunted to the side.

Obi-Wan couldn’t speak, couldn’t move, couldn’t even stop the holocron he was gutted so completely. He had forgotten this face. Not the shape of it, not the general look of it. After all, it was stamped so profoundly onto Luke. But the intricate details. His focus. The intensity of his personality you could feel just by watching him speak. The way his hair fell into his eyes because he insisted on growing it out. The scar over his left eyebrow. The way facial expressions jumped from emotion to emotion. The way he moved so smoothly and gracefully.

Obi-Wan could almost see Anakin looking up at him “Like this, right Master?” as he completed the move, with the tiny flourishes he put into using his lightsaber.

"Yes, young padawan. You’re doing so well,” Obi-Wan whispered to the holocron.

Anakin had moved his body as gracefully as a dancer, following a rhythm only he could hear. Obi-Wan watched him move and compared it to the holos he had seen on this base of Vader. That suit, it didn’t allow this kind of movement. Vader moved like he was a war machine, straight through everything in his way, instead of dancing around it. And it was his fault. All that grace was trapped and gone...his mind refused to follow that thought any further.

Obi-Wan quietly continued to watch as Anakin demonstrated the moves over and over again. When he finally stopped and stood to his full height, Obi-Wan was startled to realize that he was speaking out loud. He had probably been talking the entire time as he watched this training lesson play out.

“There is no grief. There is only the Force,” was being said over and over again in a voice that sounded hoarse even to his own ears.

Anakin looked straight ahead, addressing whoever was watching this. “Practice these exercises mindfully, and you’ll see improvement. I promise.” There were such enthusiasm and the desire to teach in that voice. Where had all of that passion and care _gone?_

“There is no grief. There is only the Force.” Obi-Wan repeated as he concentrated and let the holocron play out its full message, as Anakin went through lightsaber training exercise after lightsaber training exercise.

 

ABA - Day 52

 

Obi-Wan was loading the cargo into the ship that he had use of for today, and today only. That had been made very clear to him by the deck officer. In all truth, he would rather pay Captain Solo to fly him. Twenty years in the desert had left him more reluctant to fly, not eager to experience the ‘freedom’ it offered. But the secret of Yoda’s existence would place the Captain into more danger than he could possibly conceive of.

Obi-Wan did understand that Solo wouldn’t hesitate to do it. Both for the money, and his sheer stubbornness in not accepting the reality of the danger he constantly placed himself in. His willingness to follow Luke and Leia wherever they led showed a strength of will rarely seen in the galaxy. Obi-Wan was aware of the stubbornness and craziness of Skywalkers. The fact that the man took it all in stride was a testament to his character. A pity Bail couldn't look past the surface to see that.

Obi-Wan was moving the boxes manually. He had loaded the first one by the Force, but the interested and almost worshipful looks he was getting made him stop. Perhaps it was an old man’s pride, but he would pay the physical costs of what he was doing later. Anything he could do to avoid those worshipful looks. Perhaps it was to be expected. The Jedi were a rare sight in the galaxy even before the Clone Wars. Now they were wrapped in the shrouded nature of the past, and better times. He would ache, but he could carry the damn things. He had lived alone for nineteen years, and his body was as physically strong as it had ever been, despite its protests to the contrary.

“Did I chase you away?” came a light mocking voice behind him. Obi-Wan stiffened slightly, he had been so focused on what he was doing, he had missed the lightning feel of Leia’s presence. It was like the feel of the atmosphere on Kamino, before a major storm broke. He forced himself to relax his tense muscles as he turned around to face her.

He was struck anew, at how much she resembled her mother. Both of them. Physically, of course, her resemblance to Padme was startling. It left Obi-Wan to wonder, _again_ , on how the Emperor, never mind Vader, had overlooked it. But the expression currently on her face, the look of resigned exasperation with a mix of ‘I thought better of you,’ that was all Breha.

“No, Leia.” he said, seeking to reassure that slight uncertainty in her eyes, “I just need to get these somewhere safe.”

Leia blinked “They aren’t safe here?” she asked confused, with the slightest bit of offense underneath the questioning tone.

She moved so rapidly from emotion to emotion. It exhausted Obi-Wan sometimes just to _witness_ it. She was only four years younger than him, hadn’t she ever learned to slow down?

Sensing the anger and the suspicions about him, Obi-Wan gave a sigh. Would she ever stop jumping to the worse conclusion about his motives? “Given what I’ve learned about the numerous successive bases that the Alliance has had to leave in a hurry, no.”

Leia's hostility faded, but her confusion grew. Obi-Wan imagined she was used to evacuating base after base, trying to stay ahead of the Empire. This wasn’t a reality he was used to, and there was too much here to risk. He rubbed a hand over his forehead, “We might have to evacuate this base at any moment. I do not want to endanger what we have, but neither do I want anyone to die trying to bring it with them.”

There had already been too much death around all of this. There was the Jedi of course, but Grakkus didn’t strike him as the type who would take no for an answer when he made an offer for something you owned. Obi-Wan wondered how many people had died in the years of the Empire to amass this collection?

“I spent most of yesterday going through the holocrons and removed three for the purposes of training Luke. The rest of them, the data archives and lightsabers, I’m moving to a more secure location.”

Except for one particular lightsaber, but Leia wasn’t ready to hear that yet. Mace’s hilt was safely in his own room. He would have to figure out a way to carry it around with him, along with the holocrons, so that they were never far from his reach, and the necessity of a quick evacuation. The holocrons would be easy to carry. The lightsaber, and it’s distinct shape, would be a bit trickier.

Leia’s clouded face cleared up. She looked down at the boxes, then back up to him. “Where are you taking them?” she asked curiously.

The name Yoda almost spilled from his lips. Obi-Wan blinked and shut his mouth closed. Maybe it was her face, and the echoes of so many he loved reflected there. Perhaps it was simply because it was Leia, and if there was one thing he was sure of about her, it was that she knew how to keep a secret.

For either reason, or another that hadn’t occurred to him, he forgot his caution around her. Around Luke, that he could explain. As much as he hadn't directly interacted with the boy as he grew up, Obi-Wan _knew_ him. He had watched, from afar, the man Owen and Beru Lars raised him to be. The man that even now Luke was well on his way to becoming.

But the woman who Leia grew into, that was a mystery to him. Leia was the daughter of his dearest friends. He could admit, now, that he had been badly thrown by the fact that the woman he had met on Alderaan was not who he had been expecting. He had expected to meet a very young, naive, but passionate idealist, with the energy and nerve to take on the galaxy. With what little he had gleaned from the small bit of gossip on the holonets, the visions the Force had shown him, and what he knew of Bail and Breha, it wasn’t an unreasonable guess to who she should be.

The passion was still there, along with a fierce desire to change what she saw before her. But instead of the idealist, he had met a woman who was almost brutally practical. Instead of someone who was filled with hope, he had met a woman who was vibrating apart at the seams with grief, and was only holding herself together by sheer force of will. A woman with haunted eyes, and secrets held close to her like they were what was keeping her together.

Leia had gotten better over the last few weeks, Obi-Wan conceded. She no longer appeared so fragile in his eyes, so ready to fracture apart at a moments notice. But better was not whole, and Leia was far from that. She resisted all attempts by Bail and Breha to help her, or even confess what was wrong, and he knew how much that was worrying both of her parents. If Luke knew, he wasn’t saying. Luke wouldn’t answer even the vaguest questions Obi-Wan asked about her. He only smiled and said, “Ask Leia.”

So given all of that, when had he learned to trust her so much that he forgot himself? That he would spill one of his deepest held secrets? In a _hanger bay_ of all places? Where there were constant eyes watching everything he did or said. What about Leia made him feel safe? She was the least comforting person he could think of on this base.

As these thoughts battled out in his head, he murmured “An old friend.”

She looked puzzled for a moment, then comprehension crossed her face. She didn't say the name out loud of course. No in this instance Leia had more control then he did about blurting out the name of the Grand Master of the Jedi order. That had been one of many shocks he had taken during her confession of who she was on the Millenium Falcon. That Leia knew who Yoda was. Of course looking back, now that Obi-Wan knew he had died in that other timeline, it was rather obvious Luke would have told her when it was safe to do so. She had said the Republic was restored after all, that they had won. What that victory looked like however, Leia was remarkably tight-lipped about.

Then distrust filled her features, and for a moment, Anakin’s face was in front of him again. “Going to catch him up on everything that has happened so far?” her words were low, ever mindful of their audience, but that only slightly blunted it’s sharp and cutting edge. Anakin would never have been so controlled, or direct in his complaints, and Obi-Wan’s past melted away, only leaving Leia.

The fact that he was having such a hard time remembering who was standing in front of him, eroded Obi-Wan’s control. He found himself snapping back  “Must you always attribute everything I do to underhanded motives?”

She looked utterly taken aback  “I attribute almost everyone to having second motives.”

Leia had a hard life, Obi-Wan reminded himself, certainly as hard as yours, and she’s a politician on top of it. He tried to find the words and the tone to de-escalate the tension between them “Then why do you only ever ask me?”

She snorted in derision “Because you know I’m not everything I appear to be. It doesn’t look out of character to you.” Despite the sarcasm in her tone, Obi-Wan could feel the pulse of loneliness beneath the words. In her own way. Leia was as isolated from other people as he was on this base. Her life experiences had put her so far apart from everyone, even those she loved and trusted. Obi-Wan wondered with a start how many ghosts did she interact with every day? How many people did she talk to that she attended the funeral for?  

Obi-Wan pondered that for a second, then discarded it “Your parents and Luke both know everything, and I don’t see you interrogating them in this manner.”

She actually had the gall to look amused. The arch look on her face was only Padme’s. Obi-Wan felt the twin feeling of grief and relief at knowing that expression was once more in the galaxy. “That’s because I _know_ them Obi-Wan. They don’t need to tell me all their reasons because I have a pretty good idea of them already. And if I don’t, I trust them enough to follow along with what they ask me to do.”

Obi-Wan felt like she had stabbed him. “You don’t trust me?” he wasn’t able to keep the hurt out of his tone.

Surprise flared in her eyes. She fidgeted a little, not much, just a slight adjustment of her posture, but Leia was usually so controlled that it said much about much his question had taken her by surprise. She said hesitantly. “Despite the enormous influence you have had on my life, and the lives of the people I love, I met you for the first time a little over a month ago Obi-Wan. I don’t know you. And what I do know of you is contradictory in the extreme. For all intents and purposes, you are a stranger, one who has enormous influence and power over people I love.”

That was the truth. Not all of it, there was something she wasn’t saying, but there was no flavor of dishonesty in her words, just a withholding. Obi-Wan found at this moment, he couldn’t hold that against her. Almost every word out of Leia’s lips had that taste to it, her very existence led to it. Obi-Wan wasn’t Bail. As curious as he was about the future, he well understood Leia’s reluctance to share what she knew.

And in this instance, she was right. Her parents and Luke were people who were known quantities to her. He was, for all intents and purposes, a stranger to her, and she was daily forced to interact with him on quite intimate terms. Not only were her feelings on the line, but he was closely tied to people she loved, and could hurt them just as easily. Leia was fiercely protective of her loved ones.

He tugged on his beard, wondering what about all of this was bothering him so much.  It was entirely reasonable for her to be wondering at his motives, expected even. “So you do like me?”

“Yes,” she said, somewhat exasperated. Something in Obi-Wan lurched, then settled back into place. Then a look of deep frustration filled her features. Anakin looked like that when there was a lesson he didn’t immediately grasp. “For the most part. I just don’t understand you. Which isn’t the best place to be, given how intertwined you are in my life.”

She took a deep breath in, then let it out on a long sigh. “Luke is central to both our lives, we can’t forever be pulling him in two different directions.” She would couch this in those terms. Her devotion and protection of Luke took Obi-Wan’s breath away sometimes in its ferocity. Just what had happened to her Luke, that older Luke, that made Leia this protective? “So Obi-Wan, I ask the same question of you. Do you trust me? Like me?”

He shoved away the small hurt that he wasn’t being considered on his own terms, instead of how he related to someone else. It was the story of his life. “Leia, I happen to care about you a great deal.”

Her eyes flashed disappointment “Except when I scare you.”

_Anakin was standing in shadow, with a light smile on his face “May the Force be with you,” he said as Obi-Wan set off to finally end this war once and for all._

_Anakin, kneeling in front of Palpatine in the holo, pledging his service. How could Obi-Wan have not seen this? How could this have happened?_

Obi-Wan turned his head. There were certain moments when the past would impose itself into his present, and he was disheartened to learn Leia had picked up on that. Her voice continued “I’m not blind Obi-Wan. It’s not often, I will give you that, but it happens enough.”

He let his uneasiness flow from him, releasing it into the Force. “This was not the situation I was expecting to walk into after twenty years in the desert.” Calling on every bit of reserve and honesty he could, he raised his eyes to meet hers “Can you blame me for taking time to adjust?”

Leia didn’t answer him with words, only her hurt and fury filling the Force between them. He allowed the feeling to wash over him, then he tightened his shields before she overwhelmed him. Despite what she said, she did not want the honest answer to this question. It would only hurt her, and had no relevance to her current life. He could, however, make a concession in the face of her obvious pain.

“I had intended to fill in my old friend with all the current gossip, but I can certainly refrain if you wish.”

She looked briefly shocked, then pensive. He could see her weighing options, that quick mind of hers fluttering through as many scenarios as she could devise. Finally, she said, reluctantly,  “He should be told. A lot of circumstances he was counting on have been thrown into flux.” She rubbed the bridge of her nose as if the thought of telling another pained her. Then she looked up at him, a somewhat sour tone to her voice. “Besides, there is no telling if our light blue friend has already blabbed.”

Obi-Wan gaped at her. It had been a long time since he had heard that particular refrain directed at Qui-Gon, but it had been a frequent one during his apprenticeship. Leia’s eyes widened, as she realized what she had said. “My apologies I don’t mean to disparage him to your face,” she said sheepishly.

Obi-Wan allowed the laughter to escape from his throat. When he managed to gain control of himself, he reassured Leia’s stricken face. “My dear, you are most certainly not the first person to have that tone when talking about him. And you were a good deal politer about it than most of the comments I’ve heard about him.”

Leia’s shoulders relaxed, as she realized she hadn’t offended him. Obi-Wan even got the slightest hint of amusement from her, and then like it had never been, her face clouded over again. “Luke told me a bit of what you said to him last night.”

Obi-Wan wondered if there had been anything in her life she had just let herself enjoy, before pushing herself to the next problem, the next issue. Knowing that there was no stopping her, and partly curious as to where she was going with this he gave an arch “Oh?”

“Yes,” She hesitated, then took a deep breath in. She was trying, Obi-Wan realized with a start, she was trying to be _gentle_ with him. If this was her version of going easy on someone, he would hate to see her on a true attack.

Her voice was projecting neutrality as she said, “In the future, I would suggest you might find better ways to advise Luke on how to deal with his feelings. Telling him to let it go is a wonderful way to sound mysterious and wise, but for practical purposes, it's next to useless advice to someone who wasn’t raised in a Jedi Temple.” She was trying to be polite, Obi-Wan reminded himself, no matter how cutting the words, she was trying. And she wasn’t wrong. Luke wasn’t raised in the Temple. Leia was protective of him. Obi-Wan well knew the lengths she was willing to go to protect him, she had proved that in that cell with Vader. Obi-Wan was grateful she was even attempting to take his perspective into account.

He sighed, more disappointed in himself than her at this moment. “I actually do know that. But I confess to being very rattled last night by our conversation and fell into old habits. I will speak with Luke when I get back and apologize. And try to explain better what I meant.”

Relief crossed her features “Thank you.” She sounded sincere, but her face quickly morphed to uncertain. Her eyes flicked back to the ship, then him. “Well I hope everything goes well for you.” She paused then added, “May the Force be with you.”

“Thank you, Leia,” Obi-Wan said, touched “May it also be with you.”

 

Obi-Wan sat in the pilot's seat, observing the small planet as it filled up the view screen as he exited hyperspace. He brought his tiny shuttle into a geosynchronous orbit, as he studied the world, and prepared himself to find Yoda.

There had been no in-depth discussion before he and Yoda had separated on the Tantive IV all those long years ago, of how Obi-Wan would find Yoda if he needed to. The assumption had been that if they did need to reunite, it would be under only the direst of circumstances. The Force itself would have to be his guide. He had hoped that when he exited hyperspace, he would immediately feel the Jedi’s presence. After Anakin, and now his children, Yoda was the brightest light there was in the galaxy, and his presence could be felt within whole systems. But all Obi-Wan felt now, was a curious blankness.

Obi-Wan’s circumstances were far from dire, but he did need to see Yoda. Not only to safeguard what was left of the Jedi, but he found himself wanting his teacher’s counsel in the most desperate way. Leia was a source of great bafflement and a puzzle he could sorely use help unraveling.

Even though this planet, and who was on it, was the third most important secret he kept, he had never been physically near Dagobah. All he had were a set of coordinates of the system.

It was a green and brown world, a little muddy looking from space, and visually there was nothing remarkable about it. Scans revealed a multitude of lifeforms, but no cities, no technology, just a vast nondescript world like so many others.

Obi-Wan closed his eyes, and let his shields drop. He let out a startled curse. In the Force, this place was anything but ordinary. He didn’t understand why he hadn't felt this the second he had entered the system. The whole planet was a rioting ocean of pure flowing power, vast currents of both the Light Side and Dark Side ebbing and flowing around each other. There were things that his mind interpreted as waves, that came up, crested, and fell back down. It was visceral and pure, untamed and beguiling all at once.

Obi-Wan reached out, hypnotized by the play of the two sides of the Force he would have said lived in diametrical opposition to each other. There was a moment of pure joy, as he lightly brushed past those immense curves and eddies. Then something took notice of him.

It wasn’t Yoda. Whatever this was, it was beyond his fragile mind to understand. There was the feeling of a shadow of something immense moving below him in the Force. It was looking at him, _through_ him, and wanting judgement of this tiny creature that was here. Then images began dancing in his mind’s eye.

 _...He was watching a tall slim woman, with brunette hair, slowly reaching into a heavy ornate box. She moved slowly, cautiously, but the look on her face spoke of a intense desire to_ know. _As her hand entered into the box, her fingers slowly reached out for what lay at the bottom. Obi-Wan frowned as he recognized Anakin’s lightsaber. She grabbed it with her hand and let out a sharp gasp..._

_...Then he was standing on the top of a domed structure. A giant fireball being held back by one Jedi’s will. Young Ezra was there, standing next to a troop transport shuttle, a green Twi’lek in his arms. They both stared in mute horror at the sight before them. The Jedi turned and looked at both of them. All Obi-Wan could feel from him was a great resolve to see that everything he held dear was safe. A love so great, so vast, that it mattered not that he wouldn’t survive this. Then with a great heave, the Jedi pushed the woman, Ezra, and the shuttle away, as the fire consumed him. “KANAN!” a voice wailed......_

_...Leia, old and grey, standing beneath the dual suns of Tatooine, with Anakin, the boy Obi-Wan first met, by her side. Laughing she stuck her hand out to the impossibly young padawan version of himself. “Hello, Obi-Wan Kenobi.” she said, semi-hysteria pouring out of her “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” ..._

_...Ahsoka’s voice, dry with the slightest hint of wonder “Depends on how you view the arrival of unexpected friends,” Obi-Wan turned to see her emerge from the shadows. She was no longer the young girl he remembered but a full grown adult. Dressed in a light gray armor with tan accents, she was tall, proud, and there was such a look of love in her eyes as she took him in…_

_...Luke, looking only a few years older then he was now, dressed in all black, was standing before a raging bonfire. If Obi-Wan squinted, he could just make out the rough shape of a body rapidly burning on the logs. They were in a small glade, in the middle of a forest full of impossibly tall trees. Obi-Wan noticed the tears flowing freely down Luke’s face, and he started to ask whose funeral this was…_

_...Anakin, older than he ever got to be, with grey hairs and stress lines around both his mouth and eyes, slowly coming to his feet from where he had been sitting at a large conference table. “Yes, your way worked_ brilliantly _,” he spat as he leaned forward, placing his hands on the table. Obi-Wan turned to see who he was talking to with such anger, and nearly screamed when he saw the hulking form of Vader in the doorway..._

_...Luke, Luke the age he was now, sprawled out in the sand, at the feet of a stormtrooper. He was on Tatooine again. The Lars’ farm to be precise. Obi-Wan took his gaze off Luke for a second, to look around to see an array of stormtroopers surrounding them. Two of them were visibly restraining both Owen and Beru. Luke, on the ground, a red mark already forming from where the trooper hit him, turned his head to Obi-Wan. “This is real?” Luke asked him, in a pained voice, and impossibly old eyes were staring at Obi-Wan..._

_...Satine by his side, dressed in a sleeping gown, the nearby firelight shifting the hues of her blonde hair. There was worry in her eyes as she cupped her round belly “And what future will we create for him?” she asked “What galaxy will our child grow up in Ben?”..._

_“ENOUGH!”_ Obi-Wan cried out in desperation, his heart breaking in two at the promise and peril in that last vision.

That something receded, and Obi-Wan opened his eyes. He sat in his chair, for a few moments, gasping out loud. He wasn’t sure _why_ he had just been shown this, but he could detect no ill will in the intent of it. Even though the power behind it had been so entwined with both the Light and the Dark, he had trouble telling from which side which vision had come _from._ What had been the future, what could have been, what might have been, or what as there just to lead him off his path.

As he sat there, trembling and gathering himself, that sense of _something_ was still there, watching him. Had this been a test of some kind? But of what? And why? Yoda never mentioned that anything like that would happen.

“ _It is different for all._ ”

Obi-Wan looked into the back cargo bay, sure he heard something talk. He frowned into the darkness, there was no one there of course. He turned back around and took in his first steady breath of the last few minutes, and marveled at the answers he had found to why Yoda had exiled himself here. Even _Anakin’s_ presence would have been hidden by this chaotic tempest. And even if the Emperor did find his way here, there was no way he could set foot on this planet without invitation.

Again, Obi-Wan could swear he heard someone whisper “ _Not that one.”_ There was pain and a fierce anger in that voice, like the explosion of something long repressed “ _He is a corruption. He is not welcome here.”_

He shook his head. Force visions he could comprehend. Well perhaps not fully, but it wasn’t an experience that was completely foreign to him. Hearing voices was definitely new, and not an encouraging sign of his mental health.

As soon as he felt like he could endure another round of whatever he had just experienced was, he cautiously reached out the with the Force yet again. He really had no choice but to use this method, he didn’t know exactly on this planet where Yoda was. It had been meant as an extra means of precaution. That if Obi-Wan was ever captured alive, and tortured, he couldn’t give the Empire a precise target to stroke from space. Of course, he and Yoda had never thought that the Empire would design and build a _planet killer._

“ _Who needs precision when you can destroy everything?_ ” Obi-Wan thought bitterly.

Would even Palpatine have the ego to try to destroy this place? The Dark Side was strong here as well, it wasn’t just the Light.  Obi-Wan shook his head. Of course, he would. If there was a power that the Emperor couldn’t control, he would destroy it rather then it seen used by another. And this place was the definition of uncontrollable.

Obi-Wan braced himself as he reached out to the Force, but nothing happened. No visions, not even a hint of that overwhelming presence, just the Force as it had always been, if purer than he had ever experienced before. He would meditate later on what he had just experienced, for those visions had been a test, but also a warning and a lesson. But for now, his original mission needed to be completed.

He still could not make out Yoda in this riotous din, but he did feel the playful pull of " _this way this way_ ,” tugging at him. Using the Force as a guide, he maneuvered his way to the northern hemisphere of the planet. As he entered further and further into the atmosphere, he found himself having to divide his attention between the currents of the Force trying to lead him and also having to adjust for the environmental turbulence that the atmosphere was creating. It wasn’t what could be called his smoothest flight, but on the bright side, it wasn’t the worst either.

He passed over a medium sized opening in the vast swamp he was flying over, and the Force whispered, “ _here, here, here_.” He still didn’t feel Yoda, and as he circled over the spot, he didn't see any shelter or structure of any kind. He shrugged. The ground looked solid enough to support the weight of the shuttle, and a bit of a walk wouldn't kill him.

As he carefully settled the ship down in the middle of the glade, he stood and stretched his back. Carefully checking the readouts, to make sure that he had shut all needed systems off, he shed his cloak and laid it across the pilot's seat. According to the readings he took, this planet would be warm and if he needed to make a long journey to reach Yoda, the cloak would become dangerously hot, as well as wet.

Obi-Wan turned and walked through the shuttle’s small cargo hold to flip the switch that would lower the gangplank.  As soon as it hit the ground, Obi-Wan looked into the swamp and wasn’t too terribly surprised to see Yoda, standing about ten feet from his shuttle. He had looked to make sure before he landed that no one was there, but Yoda always did like a good surprise.

Obi-Wan came down the ramp, and the second his boots hit the ground, they gave a little ‘squish’ noise and sank a little. He sighed. Well, they had needed a good cleaning anyway, and it was a task he could focus on during his flight back to Yavin.

Taking his attention off his now wet shoes, Obi-Wan looked up to study the little Jedi standing in front of him, and barely kept his face neutral as he got a good look at him. Yoda looked _old_. Well, Yoda had always looked old, even in Obi-Wan’s earliest memories of him in the Jedi creche. But now he looked as if he was barely clinging to life. His shoulders seemed to be caught in a permanent slouch, the wrinkles on his face even deeper, and his hair, which he had little left off even nineteen years ago, was even thinner, and in a wild disarray around his head. The cane he was leaning on heavily seemed to be a permanent thing he needed, no longer an aid for when he was tired.

His clothes reflected this state. Yoda had always dressed simply. But now his plain robes were tattered and had several patches on it. His undershirt was also no longer the neutral tan that Obi-Wan remembered but now was almost brown.

Obi-Wan pulled himself together. Him staring like a first-year padawan was hardly the greeting his mentor deserved. “Master Yoda,” he said, giving him a low bow.

Yoda hmphed, “Head of the Jedi Order, no longer I am.” he said. “Need of such fripperies I do not.”

“But my first teacher in the creche said bowing was a form of respect. And that you will always have,” Obi-Wan said as he came up from his bow to look down at his old teacher. He let a small smile play across his lips, “Are you saying he was mistaken?”

Yoda's ears flattened a bit. He gave a small grunt of disapproval, “Tricky you always were,” he said in a huffy voice, but Obi-Wan caught the barest hint of pleasure in him. “Use my own teachings against me. Changed that has not.”

“No,” Obi-Wan said. “But much else has.”

“Yes,” there was the slightest hint of mischievous, covering a storm of other emotions Obi-Wan couldn’t identify. “Match me in wrinkles and gray hair you do now.”

Obi-Wan found his mouth twitching “At least I still have my hair.”

“You will see,” Yoda said, “go that will too.” His mirth faded, and he looked him up and down “Hungry are you?” he asked. He turned slightly to gesture behind him “Not much I have, but good it all is. Not far is my home.”

Obi-Wan shook his head. “No, thank you.”

Yoda turned back to look at him, and Obi-Wan was taken aback to see the open fear on his face. He remembered Yoda as being instructable and impossible to read unless he wanted someone to. Why would he want Obi-Wan to know he was afraid of what he had come to tell the old Jedi. Or perhaps the answer was simpler than that. As isolated as Obi-Wan had been on Tatooine he at least talked to people occasionally. Yoda had no one, but Qui-Gon. Was it any wonder that he, like Obi-Wan, was unused to guarding his expressions?

Yoda watched the thoughts flit about in Obi-Wan’s head, and then putting an end to the pleasantries he had started, asked in a heavy voice “Wondering why you are here, I am?”

Obi-Wan gave him a smile of reassurance, making sure there were no shadows in his eyes. He knew his presence would worry the old master, but he hadn’t known it would be this deep. The rest of his news would not make Yoda happy, but what he had physically brought to this place, that was something worth celebrating. “To give you an unexpected gift.”

Yoda blinked, and the fear was banished, replaced by surprise. “A gift you say?”

Obi-Wan turned around and gestured his right hand at one of the boxes in the shuttle’s hold. Using the Force Obi-Wan slowly levitated to them.

“Frivolous use of the Force, that is,” Yoda complained.

“Old I have gotten,” Obi-Wan countered “Pride was a luxury I could ill afford living alone in the desert.” He was already paying for his stubborn refusal to use the Force to put the boxes in the hold. There was only Yoda here, and Obi-Wan was long used to his lectures about the proper use of the Force.

Gently he brought the box down, right next to Yoda. The green Jedi sniffed and sent Obi-Wan a reproachful look. “Supplies I need not,” he said.

Obi-Wan gestured, and the lock popped off. “How fortunate, since that is not what I brought you.”

Yoda blinked and shooting Obi-Wan a puzzled look he reached beside him with his free hand and slid the lid off the box. It landed with a wet sounding noise onto the mossy ground, and Yoda went up to his toes to peer over the edge.

There was a long moment of silence, then Yoda’s voice, filled with wonder said. “Oh.” He settled back on his heels but left his hand outstretched. One of the holocrons came up in the air, glowing softly in the fog-filled air. It didn’t break apart, Yoda wasn’t looking for what was on it, he was merely examining it.

“Found them where did you?” he asked, staring at the holocron with undisguised joy and reverence

Obi-Wan bit his lip. “I didn’t.” Yoda looked at him sharply, attention diverted away from the holocron “That's also why I came,” Obi-Wan confessed, “I need to talk to you about Leia Organa.” He gestured to the box, “She is the one who knew where these were, and helped me retrieve them.”

Yoda hesitated for a moment, then said softly. “Changed something has,” he said, eyes going distant as he looked past Obi-Wan into the open air over his shoulder. “Felt it I did, but understand it I do not.”

Obi-Wan let out a bitter laugh. Yes, Qui-Gon was still very true to form, even dead. He was leaving the messy report for Obi-Wan to give. ”Oh, yes,” he said, “you could say that.”

Yoda’s ears twitched “No longer see young Organa do I.”

Obi-Wan hastened to reassure him “Leia is not dead.”

The old master snorted “Felt that I would have.” He whacked Obi-Wan gently on his shin with his stick in reprimand “Old, I am, not senile.” Then his shoulders hunched in “But become hidden from me, she is. Curving around her, the Force is.”

Well, that was interesting. Qui-Gon had said it was like the Force was trapping her here. Was it because without that outside interference she would snap back into her own time? Into her old body? Was that how she was being held here? He wondered at the implications of that. If the Force decided to return her to her own time as randomly as it brought her here, who would take her place in that body? The actual nineteen-year-old Leia Organa? While in some ways that would solve many of his immediate problems, in the long run, it would be a disaster. For Luke, Bail, Breha, everyone, including himself. This bitter, strong, resilient woman was the one he knew, and despite her many complications, he couldn’t say he regretted the experience on the whole.

Obi-Wan shook his head. No, the Force could be cruel, but it was rarely capricious. It brought Leia here, and it had its own reasons for what it did. It wouldn’t send her back now.

Obi-Wan himself didn't see this curving that Qui-Gon and Yoda did when he looked at Leia in the Force. He only saw walls and the shuttering away of that great power. But then, his talents had never been very strong in that area.

“ _Or perhaps you are too close to the problem_?” that voice of doubt whispered in his ear _“You are too fond of her, like you were with Anakin.”_

Obi-Wan shoved that thought away, with the ease of long practice. Leia may remind him of Anakin, but she was most decidedly not him. And his fears and worries over her were entirely different than the ones he had for his old student.

Then he noticed the stark terror in Yoda’s eyes. Obi-Wan puzzled over that for a second. Beyond Leia’s death, what would the old master fear from Leia suddenly disappearing from his sight? Then with a brutal clarity, Obi-Wan recalled the past. This wasn’t the first time in Yoda’s life where someone had bent the Force around themselves to hide their true nature.

“Leia hasn’t fallen,” he said reassuringly. “If she is being hidden from you, it is not by her doing. ”

Yoda didn’t look reassured. “Then done this has who?”

“The Force I presume,” Yoda didn't look assuaged by his answer. Obi-Wan sighed “Master Yoda-” he started to say.

Yoda shook his head, cutting him off. “Told you did I. No Order here.”

“Master Yoda,” Obi-Wan repeated, then took in a deep breath “When I left Tatooine-”

“And did that why?” Yoda sounded irritated “Suppose to stay there and train Luke, you were.”

Obi-Wan was amused to note that for all that Yoda claimed he was no longer the head of anything he was still demanding reports. “Because Bail asked for my help,” he said lightly, “And he sent Leia to do it.”

Yoda hissed through his teeth. He too knew how desperate Bail must have been if he had sent Leia as a messenger.

“I knew then that the time for hiding was over.” Obi-Wan felt shame creep into his heart. He had been so focused on Luke, that he hadn’t paid attention to the logical consequences of what seeing R2 again meant. All he had worried over was Leia’s fate, this weapon that the Empire was building, and trying to convince Luke that they needed to leave Tatooine. He should have realized the second after he saw that message that the Empire would come for the droids. He should have known Owen and Beru were in danger and hastened Luke to take Obi-Wan back to their farm. But he hadn’t, and his failure had led to the deaths of two good people and endless heartache for Luke.

“Luke’s guardians are dead,” Obi-Wan said, “And it was imperative that we get R2 to Alderaan.”

“A great evil I saw,” Yoda looked pensively at Obi-Wan “Destroyed it you did?”

“Yes,” Obi-Wan had forgotten about this aspect of Yoda’s personality. If you let him, he would interrogate even the tiniest detail and follow it down whatever road _he_ thought important, nevermind what you thought. “But that isn’t what I came here to talk to you about.” Obi-Wan took a deep breath in “When I arrived on Alderaan, I didn't meet nineteen-year-old Princess Leia.”

Yoda braced himself, his hand tightening on his stick. “Then encounter who, did you?”

Obi-Wan made sure his voice was unwavering “Fifty-three-year-old General Leia Organa.”

There was a long pause. Yoda's eyes closed, and Obi-Wan was surprised to see a tear slip down his old teacher’s cheek. In a somber voice, Yoda said, “Alone too long in the desert, you were. Lost yourself you have.”

Obi-Wan bit back his emphatic denial. Him responding emotionally would not convince Yoda of the truth of this matter. And besides, he had expected this response, or something very near it. It had been _his_ response to Leia, after all. But it didn’t make it any less difficult to hear Yoda question his sanity.  Some days he felt perilously close to slipping out of that state, but he hadn’t reached it yet. “I am not mad Master Yoda.”

Yoda’s mouth tightened, “What you speak of, impossible that is!”

“You said the same thing to me when I appeared in front of you all those years ago, Master of my Master,” Qui Gon’s voice echoed around them. Obi-Wan was amused to note that he physically hadn’t manifested himself. Even dead, Qui-Gon treaded lightly around Master Yoda.

“Convinced you he has?” Yoda demanded, head swiveling up as he addressed the sky  “Madness, he speaks!”

Given the fact that Yoda was arguing with a ghost, which the Yoda of twenty years ago would also have said was impossible, Obi-Wan thought that assessment was a little harsh.

Qui-Gon’s voice was light “No he did not. Leia did.”

Yoda’s shoulders straightened as much as they could. “Mad she has run too, then.”

Obi-Wan crouched down to look his old master in the face. “She is not mad Master Yoda. Somedays I think she is the sanest of us all.” Yoda’s head came down to look at Obi-Wan directly.

“And yet she speaks of being a time traveler?” he huffed.

“Yes,” Obi-Wan gestured to the boxes “She knew where these were and told me how to find them.”

“Discovered by other means, she could have? For her own purposes.”

Obi-Wan kept his irritation to himself. When Yoda got an idea in his head, sometimes it took a lot to dislodge him from it, and this was one fantastical truth to swallow. “You’ve watched her most of her life Yoda, just as I’m sure you were watching Luke.”

Yoda opened his mouth to deny it, but Qui-Gon's voice was light and breezy as he said “I told him what you were up to old friend. Just like I told you what he was doing.”

“Naming Bantha’s in the desert,” Yoda looked at him critically “A waste of time that was.”

“Yes, because I had so many duties and responsibilities to see to,” Obi-Wan couldn't hold back the sarcasm in his voice. He had done what he needed to stay sane. Luke needed more than a mad protector. “And don't try to distract me. You’ve watched her Yoda, you’ve watched her grow up. Does she strike you as someone who would deliberately put forth such a false hood?”

Yoda shook his head “No, she is not.”

“Tell him Obi-Wan,” Qui-Gon’s voice was disapproving. “You do him no favors by shielding him from the truth as you have done with yourself.”

Obi-Wan scowled, annoyed that Qui-Gon was taking Leia's side in this argument, and had brought Yoda into a fight he had nothing to do with. Then his face relaxed when he realized Qui-Gon had only aimed that comment at him. Yoda was still staring at Obi-Wan, waiting for the next volley to shoot down.

Obi-Wan swallowed hard “She knows, Yoda.”

The old master stomped his stick “Knows what does she? Hmmm? Much ground that could cover.”

“She knows about Luke,” Obi-Wan said, “She knows he is her brother.”

“Senator Organa-” Yoda protested, but Obi-Wan shook his head.

“No, he didn’t tell her. Neither did Breha.” Obi-Wan’s voice was a strangled whisper, “And she knows about Vader.”

Yoda’s eyes widened. He knew, as well as Obi-Wan did, that neither Bail or Breha would ever tell Leia the truth about Vader, for the same reason they didn’t want to tell Luke.

“But-”

For a second, Obi-Wan could swear he was feeling the heat of Mustaphar again. “ _Everything_ about Vader,” and that was all he managed to get out, before he closed his eyes and desperately shove everything he was feeling into the Force.

Obi-Wan’s eyes flew open when he heard a light thump on the mossy ground. Yoda was no longer standing, it seemed his legs had given out from under him, and he was sitting down,  staring at him, with wide eyes. “Speak the truth you do?” Obi-Wan felt relief break out over him, and he nodded. Yoda’s voice went whispery “The future she is from?” he asked, his gaze straying to the box of holocrons, physical proof that what Leia claimed was the truth.

Obi-Wan wondered if he was too hard on Yoda for his previous obstinate behavior. He himself found this whole situation strange, even in a life lived with impossible things. How much harder was this for Yoda to accept? Who had lived almost a millennium? Whose life encompass vast swaths of history that Obi-Wan had only read about in the briefest passage in his history classes? Whose life had encompassed experiences Obi-Wan couldn't even begin to fathom? Who had survived both the destruction of his race and his people? How hard must it be for him to reconcile this impossible thing with a long life arguing that such a thing could not be?

Yoda was silent for a long time. After a while, Obi-Wan, in deference to his aging knees, sat on the ground in front of the old master, perfectly content to wait. It had been a long time since he had been around anyone who felt like a ‘Jedi’ to his senses, and he was wallowing in the sensation.

Slowly Yoda came back to Obi-Wan “Triumphed we did?” he asked.

Obi-Wan started out of the light trance he had fallen into, and took a moment to ponder Yoda’s question seriously. “Leia says they won. But she won’t say the shape of the victory.”

Yoda’s eyes sharpened at that “Mean what does that?”

Obi-Wan’s smile was mocking “The future is always in motion Master Yoda. Leia knows that better than anyone.”

Yoda looked shocked. “Tell you nothing, she will not?”

Obi-Wan shrugged “She won’t tell anyone. Or at least she is very sparse on the details.”

Yoda hummed “But believe her, you do?”

“That we won?” Obi-Wan thought about it for a long moment. Despite her caginess and her prickly temper, Leia never rang false in the Force those few times he had heard her speak about the future. But he of all people knew the subtle shades of meanings in words. Leia had been raised by two of the most honest politicians Obi-Wan had ever met. And they had managed to survive in the Empire, without sacrificing too many of their ideals or beliefs. If anyone could muddle lines and sow confusion in their answers, it was the daughter of Breha and Bail Organa. “Yes,” he said slowly. Then looked into Yoda’s hopeful face. “But I’m not sure the shape of that victory was something she cared for.”

Yoda frowned “Why?”

Obi-Wan thought of Leia’s sad eyes, the relentless drive she showed, the almost frantic commitment to the Rebellion. Excepting Han, Luke, and her family, Obi-Wan never saw Leia _smile._  Not for real. “She is too haunted by something.”

Yoda nodded. “A challenging thing war is. Perhaps a cleaner victory she seeks?”

Obi-Wan tugged his beard “Perhaps.” It wasn’t an unreasonable suggestion. The Clone Wars had been over for almost two decades, and he still woke up sometimes in the middle of the night, calling out for Anakin or Cody, convinced that a battle had just started. It was possible Leia was trying to achieve victory without paying the same high price she clearly had before. Alderaan was probably the worst of the atrocities, but it would by no means be the last the galaxy witnessed as the Emperor fought to keep his grip on power.

Obi-Wan brought his concentration back in on Yoda. Leia, and the secrets she held, the pain she was trying to outrun, were a problem for another day. Yoda needed to know everything, especially given Leia's threats to tell Luke what she knew. And time was precious. Even with the planet itself containing this pure version of the Force, hiding both he and Yoda, they couldn't take the risk that Palpatine might see them.

He gave Yoda a reassuring smile. “And that’s not all there is.”  

“More you say?”

He gestured, and another box came floating over, settling down next to the first. Obi-Wan didn't even have time to open the box before Yoda did it for him. The old master hurriedly looked at the contents and let out a small cry of pain.

“So many,” Yoda whispered, as he gently caressed one of the lightsaber hilts “So many lost.”

“Yes,” Obi-Wan agreed, “but I thought they should be here, and not locked up in a vault somewhere.” He grimaced, thinking of the old legends of _how_ the Sith made their lightsabers red. “Or corrupted to other purposes.”

Yoda looked up at him, “Risked what did you, to save these?”

Obi-Wan gave him a reassuring smile “We didn’t take them from the Empire. A rather unpleasant Hutt by the name of Grakkus was collecting them,” He didn’t mention the other objects that had been scattered throughout that warehouse. They were gone, sacrificed so that he could recover this. They were consigned to destruction, and no amount of grief would bring them back. He held the sorrow of the knowledge that once again what had been in his home was gone, then let it go into the Force.

Yoda looked up at him “Brought them here you did?”

Obi-Wan nodded “Yes. The Rebel Alliance has fled too many bases in the past few years. I thought they would all be safer here, under your care.” He gestured to the two remaining boxes in his hold. “And those are files recovered from the Jedi archive.”

Yoda’s ears drooped. “Joined into another war Master Kenobi?” he asked disappointment strong in his voice.

For a moment Obi-Wan was no longer standing on this green world. The damp muggy air was replaced with an oppressive heat he could barely breathe in. Everywhere he looked there were the flickers of embers in the air, and Vader was standing over Padme's prone form. Then the moment passed, as it had done so often in the past nineteen years, and the unfairness of what Yoda was accusing him of, sank into his mind. “No, Master Yoda, I have not. But it is where my pupil is.”

Yoda stomped his gimmer stick on the ground “Isolate him you should. More distractions that one does not need.”

“I disagree.” Obi-Wan left it at that. He was no longer newly knighted and unsure of what he was doing. Luke was not raised in the temple. He was a good man, but he was not a Jedi, and he didn’t think or process what he was feeling like one. He and Luke were still working on exactly how they should proceed, as Leia so helpfully pointed out earlier on his reverting to useless advice. Something needed to be figured out though. The Force was a dangerous influence on one's emotions if they weren't carefully managed. But it wasn’t fair to expect Luke to react like a nineteen-year-old human raised with the Jedi. And one of the things that had been made very clear to Obi-Wan on Yavin was that non-Jedi who were raised in a loving home, needed people.

Luke needed companionship, he needed relationships. His path of the Jedi would not be of the gentle shepherd of the galaxy, but a weapon forged in fire. Allowances must be made. And isolating him now from what he sought to protect would only cast him adrift.

There was also the matter of the Lars’ death. Obi-Wan was the first to admit that he was no more capable of shepherding Luke through his grief then he had been capable of handling Anakin’s over his mother. On Yavin Luke had his fellow pilots, friends. He had Capitan Solo, the Organas, and he had Leia to help him with his grief. Luke always had Leia, ready to take on the galaxy for him if he asked.

As his thoughts drifted back to the woman, and when was he not focussed on Leia these days, Obi-Wan cleared his throat. “It wasn’t only for the Jedi artifacts and to inform you about Leia that I came here. There is another complication

“Oh?” Yoda looked at him. “Another complication you say? More than a time-traveling Princess there is?”

“She prefers the title General,” Obi-Wan said lightly.

Yoda looked alarmed “Bode well that does not.”

Obi-Wan felt the whiplash of annoyance at Yoda’s presumption. Just because he had seen the nineteen-year-old child, that did not mean he knew or understood the fifty-three-year-old woman. Leia had fought the war that Obi-Wan's and Yoda’s mistakes help create. Yoda was in no position to judge her for the price she paid and how she chose to deal with it. “I might not know much of what happened, but I do know that Alderaan was destroyed. I think her rejection of her title has something to do with that.”

Yoda’s face paled. “Alderaan gone?” he whispered.

Obi-Wan nodded. “Destroyed by that great evil you saw.” His voice became bitter “It seems you and I suffer from a lack of imagination. The Emperor sank even further in depravity than we thought him capable of, in order to keep his grip on power.”

“Done what has he?” Yoda asked, ashen.

“Built a planet killer. They called it the Death Star.” Yoda keened, rocking slightly back and forth, his horror at the thought palpable. Obi-Wan leaned forward and put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s gone. In both timelines actually. But here, Leia saw to it that Alderaan was spared.”

Yoda looked at him “Gone you say?”

Obi-Wan nodded “Yes. Through the sacrifice of its main engineer, a flaw was placed in its design. The Alliance used that flaw to destroy it.”

Relief broke out on the old man’s face, and for the first time since he arrived, Yoda almost looked as he once did “Good. Such an evil would doom us all,”  But then he sagged, and the weight of so much returned to him. “More concerns you said you have?

Obi-Wan chose to start with the easier one first. “Leia refuses to train as a Jedi. I was hoping you could provide me with a way to convince her otherwise.” To rely only on Luke would be madness. Especially if Leia carried through with her threat to tell Luke. But if she was trained, Obi-Wan imagined she would have no problems killing Vader. Even without training, Obi-Wan would give her good odds of succeeding. What he wasn’t sure of, was that without the proper guidance on how to channel the Force, she wouldn’t lose her soul in the process.

Yoda looked thoughtful “Knew a possibility this was,” he conceded “That one would refuse.”  He nibbled on his stick, deep in thought. “Many responsibilities she has. A good leader her mother is, and taught her daughter well she would. Shirk such a role lightly she would not.”

“Yes,” Obi-Wan said “I am aware. Especially since her people are now here for her to lead.”

Yoda’s face didn’t change, but Obi-Wan could feel the stab of grief at the thought of all those people gone. “Perhaps practicality she would listen to?” Yoda suggested.

“What do you mean?”

Yoda shrugged “Another leader for Alderaan could be trained.  Talent in the Force, rarer. Young Queen Breha is. Replaced Leia could be there.”

Obi-Wan swallowed his instinctive gasp of dismay. Leia certainly wouldn’t see it that way. She would never turn the responsibility of being the ruler of her people over. Especially not to become a Jedi. And Bail and Breha would hardly be blasé about it either. “I don’t think that would work,” he said cautiously.

“Responsible she is.” Yoda frowned “Or was, when younger. Logical this is.”

Obi-Wan shook his head. “She is still responsible. That’s why she won’t bend on this.” At least not this way. Yoda was correct, in a coldly calculating way. It was the logical path. But too much of Leia’s identity was wrapped up in her duties and responsibilities. She had sacrificed too much to just coldly put aside her family, which she had just gotten back.

“Offer to talk to her, I do,” Yoda said simply. “If so worried you are. Teach her I can.”

Obi-Wan’s mouth fell open. “I thought, you said you would never take another padawan.”

Yoda gestured around them, “See many options do you?”

“No,” Obi-Wan let out a sigh of relief “Thank you Master Yoda.” Surely he could get Leia to see what needed to be done.

Yoda nodded “Bring her here you must.”

Obi-Wan’s heart sank. “I thought-”

“Go with you I should?” Yoda shook his head. “Leave here I cannot.”

Can not or will not, Obi-Wan wondered. While there were logical reasons as to why Yoda would fear leaving this this planet, chances were high Palpatine would find him if he was out in the open, it didn't mean the Rebellion couldn't sorely use the help. Or wouldn't do their damnedest to protect him. If Obi-Wan was a symbol of defiance, then Yoda would be the flagrant flouting of the Emperor’s will and vision of the galaxy.

“She won’t agree to that,” Obi-Wan said quietly. “She won’t leave the Rebellion to come to talk to you. I can barely pry her away from her work to teach her the skills required for the more complicated shields.”

Yoda frowned “Why such a hurry to teach her that?”

Obi-Wan winced. “Vader knows about her.”

Yoda stood straight up, “Knows he does!” he scrambled over to Obi-Wan, and grabbed him by the shoulders “Brought her here you should have! Hidden she should be.”

Obi-Wan felt his helplessness claw up his throat “She won’t come. She won’t hide. She thinks she can handle it.”

“Handle Vader?” Yoda looked horrified “With no training? Mad she is!”

“He doesn't want to kill her Yoda,” Obi-Wan said softly, thinking of the offer Vader had made Leia on Nar Shaddaa. Leia was no fool or sentimental about Vader, and she believed that Vader would have let the rest of them go if she turned herself over to him. Including Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan had no illusions as to what Vader would do to him if he ever got a hold of him. In the deepest part of his mind, Obi-Wan even understood that part of that hatred had been fairly earned. He should have been a true Jedi, and let go of personal attachment and killed the Sith on Mustafar. Instead, he had walked away, and the galaxy suffered because of it.

Still, it scared Obi-Wan to realize he agreed with Leia’s assessment of that offer. No matter how deep the hatred in his heart for Obi-Wan, Vader would have let him go to acquire Leia.

Yoda fell back on his heels, shoulders slumping “A fool she is. Trained she must be. Bring her here, on everything this relies.” He looked up at Obi-Wan “Convince her you must.”

Obi-Wan could barely convince Leia that he wasn’t a threat to Luke, and she knew how much he cared about the boy. How was he supposed to convince her to alter her entire life’s path?

“She won’t listen to me,” Obi-Wan said softly. “But she, and Bail and Breha, might listen to you.”

Yoda shook his head “Too dangerous it is,” he said. “Leave here I cannot.”

Perhaps Yoda’s advice would be useless here. Obi-Wan could wait and see. The Force was already making its preferences known, even to Obi-Wan, despite how oblivious Leia seemed to be about it. She was a smart woman, if incredibly stubborn, eventually, the Force's point would make itself clear to her. Then and only then, would Obi-Wan begin to press his point. You could fight the Force, but the costs to such actions were high.  Leia was far too practical not to see that. Perhaps, if he could keep her away from Vader’s clutching grasp long enough, she would come to her senses. He didn't see any other option at this point. He couldn't force her, any more then he could have forced Owen to let him train Luke.

Obi-Wan bit his lip. “That’s not the worst of it.”

Yoda looked at him, saying nothing, but eyes demanding answers.

“She wants me to tell Luke about Vader.”

Yoda’s ears pressed back “Do that you must not!”

Obi-Wan looked at him concerned “She told me that if I don’t, she will.”

Yoda’s eyes grew wide “On everything this relies. Not ready for the burden is he.”

“Is anyone?” Obi-Wan remarked bitterly, thinking of Yoda’s long ago order to him about Vader.

“Won’t do it he will,” Yoda proclaimed. “Long have I watched him. Blood ties he deems too important.”

It had been Yoda’s idea to send Luke to the Lars’ in the first place. And now he was complaining at what that wrought? But Obi-Wan knew, just like when you confronted Leia, attacking Yoda head on, would get him nowhere.

Obi-Wan gave a helpless shrug “I rather think that is the point.”

Yoda started drumming his fingers on his knee, “Knew Luke did, in this future she lived?” he asked finally.

Obi-Wan nodded “I haven’t asked her directly, but I assume so. I,” he swallowed hard “I died before I met her in that timeline. That is part of the reason we are having so many problems. She doesn't know me.” But she had lived so many experiences frighteningly similar to his. How could she stand there, after she had done the impossible and saved her world, and not understand that Obi-Wan and Yoda needed to do everything they could to make sure theirs could be rebuilt? “Bail and Breha also were dead by this point. So that only leaves Luke, or your alternate, as the one who told her.”

Yoda swayed softly, “Alone I was?” he whispered.

“You are never alone,” Qui-Gon’s voice rang out. “And even if Obi-Wan were to die right this moment you still would not be alone.”

Obi-Wan nodded “True. When Leia recounted my death she was very clear to complain about how I ‘poofed’ away.” He looked at his old master “It seems I have mastered the trick of becoming one with the Force.”

“Proof that is not!” Yoda said vehemently.

Obi-Wan shrugged “She wasn’t very startled by Qui-Gon’s existence outside his mortal form.”

Qui-Gon’s laugh was suddenly echoing off the trees on the edge of the glade they were sitting in. “That is not how I remember it. As I recall, she tried to shoot me when I appeared.”

Obi-Wan let out a sigh of annoyance. Qui-Gon always had to have the last word, didn’t he? “Because she didn’t recognize you!” he said “And notice she didn’t pull her blaster out of her holster, because she knew it would do no good to try to kill someone who was already dead. Your existence as a Force Ghost didn’t bother her. The fact that you were a stranger did.”

“Yes,” Qui-Gon mused “She does seem to have trust issues doesn't she?”

Obi-Wan’s eyes narrowed. Was that statement driven my Qui-Gon’s silent observation of Leia? Or had he spoken to her directly? And if he had, about what?

Yoda looked amused at the bickering between former Master and Padawan, but his voice was solemn as he asked, “My other, told Luke he did?”

Obi-Wan shook his head, “No,” he said. “Vader told him.”

Yoda slumped, “For nothing it all was.”

Obi-Wan shook his head, “I told you, Leia said they won.”

“How?”

Obi-Wan ignored the grief in his heart. Anakin was long dead, there was no sense in mourning this “Palpatine killed Vader.”

Yoda looked troubled “Only two there are, a Master and an Apprentice.” He looked up at Obi-Wan “Tried to replace Vader with Luke the Emperor did?”

Obi-Wan nodded “I’m imagining so. And Luke killed Palpatine.”

Yoda growled “Understand I do not. This path may not be recreated. Risk all she does.”

“Luke is her twin,” Obi-Wan said, “I think she is more concerned of what will happen to him if he learns he killed his father, and nobody told him.”

“For the good of the galaxy, it is,” Yoda stumped his stick “Knows this she does.”

“I don't think she cares.”

“Convince her, you must. Do this she must not! Too young she is, too impetuous.”

Obi-Wan snorted “She is only four years younger than me Yoda, I hardly think that argument will work well on her.”

“Too like her mother she is,” Yoda grumbled.

Obi-Wan blinked. Physically yes, Leia did resemble Padme, but all he saw when she spoke was Anakin. Anakin as he should have been.

“What do you mean?” Obi-Wan asked.

“When right she thinks she is she, persuaded away from action, she can be.” Yoda looked at him with sad eyes “When immoral she thinks it is, move her from her path, nothing will.”

Yes, that had been Padme’s way. Even with a galaxy fracturing apart, a bounty on her head, and an almost successful assassination attempt, she had never stopped trying to stop the Republic from forming an army. She considered it a sin, not just an unfortunate necessity. But in his eagerness to make his case for Leia’s wrong-headed turn, Yoda was overlooking the obvious here.

“And Padme was right,” Obi-Wan said gently, leaning forward so that he could stare into Yoda’s eyes. “Padme was right about entering the war. If we had backed her motion in the Senate-”

“Our place that was not!” Yoda said aghast.

Obi-Wan ignored him. “If we had backed her, the Clone Wars wouldn't have started when it did. We would have had time after discovering the existence of the clones to find out their origins. And we would not have been so eager to bury what we knew when we discovered it.”

Obi-Wan swallowed hard at the shame in Yoda’s eyes “A price we would have paid,” the old Jedi master muttered, it was a half-hearted defense.

“A price we did pay,” Obi-Wan said. “Can you honestly tell me what we suffered, what our order suffered, what the galaxy is being forced to suffer, was worse than if we had gotten involved in politics?”

“No,” Yoda said softly. “I cannot.”

Obi-Wan leaned back, giving his oldest teacher space. He knew after so long alone, after such physical closeness all he wanted was to be left alone in his skin, and he needed Yoda to really listen to what he had to say. “We were all responsible. But you and I are the only ones left to answer for that decision. And that means it is our duty, and our responsibility, to take Leia’s concerns _seriously_.”

Yoda's head cocked in surprise. “Agree with her you do not,” he said.

Obi-Wan shook his head, “No, I don’t. I agree with you, this will do more harm than good. But I didn’t listen to her mother, convinced I knew better. And she died, the Order died, and the Republic died because of our arrogance.”

Yoda looked up at the holocron still suspended in the air. The fifty or so that Obi-Wan had retrieved was a great gift, but there had once been thousands of these. All lost because of their mistakes. Mistakes that Obi-Wan thought he understood. When Owen had denied him the opportunity to train Luke, he had been left with nothing but time on his hands. Time to obsess over every wrong footed step the Jedi order had taken. Time to wonder how they could have averted all of this. The Jedi existed in its current form to protect the Republic from the Sith. In that, they had failed spectacularly.

Obi-Wan thought he understood where they had gone wrong. He thought he had come to terms to what the Jedi could, or could not have done to save themselves. Leia, with only her mere presence, was throwing all his conclusions into doubt. Leia, whose desire to protect Luke led her to challenge Obi-Wan on his understanding of the Force. Leia who casually upended all his knowledge of what he even thought was _possible_ to do in the Force with nothing more than a shrug. She was causing him to rethink all of what he knew. He wasn’t ready to confront her directly on that, not yet, but he was pondering it.

Yoda finally used the Force and returned the holocron to the box. “Eat you should,” he said. “A long journey you have ahead of you.”

Obi-Wan shook his head in denial. “Master Yoda, it is too dangerous.”

“A long time it has been since a meal shared with a friend,” Yoda looked at him beseechingly. “If denied this we are, what is the point of fighting?”

He made a rather good point there. Obi-Wan carefully stood up, the damp ground was not good for his knees. “You are right,” he said dusting his hands off. “A light meal wouldn’t hurt.” And a few hours of conversation would do much to lighten his mood. Then he would return to his duties, but surely the Force would let him have this much rest?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation into 中文 available: [[Translation]Scenes from the Middle Game ](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12570572/chapters/28631816) by[Acyancat](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Acyancat/pseuds/Acyancat)


	7. Ahsoka

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here is my new rule about updates. If it's 30,000 words or less you get it in four weeks. For every additional 10,000 words, I'm going to add a week. Here be my warning, it's lateish where I am, and in case you missed it in the notification email you got, this sucker is 57, 597 words long. You are all adults or at least adolescents. You will have to live with the consequences of your decisions. 
> 
> Also contained within this chapter are spoilers for Star Wars Rebels and specifically for the episodes, "Twilight of the Apprentice" and "A World Between Worlds" and "Family Reunion and Farewell". Spoilers for Chapter 23 of Queens. 
> 
> FYI, several small scenes happen in a bar, and drinking is briefly mentioned if you are sensitive to such things. 
> 
> As always, I hope you enjoy!

Ahsoka ignored the bruises from where she had fallen off the platform earlier. She ignored the aches and complaints her body was sending her. She ignored that little voice of doubt, saying that she wouldn’t make it, that once again she would be too late to save someone she loved. All she focused on was _moving_ , on climbing these endless steps on the side of this Sith cursed temple, and reaching the top before it was too late. She shoved everything else away.

When Ahsoka finally crested the top, she did stop, but it was not to rest, but so she could see what was going on. She took everything in at once. Ezra and Kanan were being pulled towards Vader. But it wasn’t them his vice-like grip in the Force was wrapped around, it was the Sith holocron in Ezra’s hand. The young Jedi was stubbornly refusing to let it go, and Kanan was desperately trying to pull his padawan back. She could feel in the Force as they tried to break free of Vader. They might as well have been fighting the gravitational pull of a star for all the good it was doing them.

Why wouldn’t Ezra let the damn thing go? Had he already been corrupted by it?  Then there was a wild pulse of energy coming from the middle of the room. A pulse of purple lightning crackled through the walls, causing the temple to shudder a bit. Ahsoka looked at the black obelisk in the middle of the room, where that pulse of electricity had come from. She could see another pulse of energy building up in it, between the gaps of its separated panels, spinning wildly out of control.

It all came to Ahsoka in one blinding moment. That obelisk was the control panel for this temple, no, not a temple, a _ship_. That was why Maul had been here, that was why the Inquisitors, and Vader, were here. To take control of this Sith monstrosity. And knowing the Sith, this wasn’t simply a vessel capable of hyperspace travel, it was a weapon.

And the holocron was what was needed to control that panel, Ahsoka realized. Without it there to guide the systems, this weapon would pull itself apart. All its destructive power would be beyond anyone’s ability to use, most especially the Empire.

Ahsoka lit both of her lightsabers and ran full tilt at Vader. This close to that overwhelming nebula in the Force she could feel the Dark Side whipping around her in gleeful anticipation. She could feel it try to pull at her resolve, to weaken her will. She determinedly shut it out. She _would_ make it. She _would_ stop Vader.

A moment before she struck, Vader turned around to face her, releasing his hold on the Sith holocron. There was a rolling wave of surprise, like he truly hadn’t expected her to be here, and the emotion slapped into her shields with just enough bite to throw her jump off just the _slightest_ as she launched herself. Ahsoka managed to land on his chest, as she intended, but her slight miscalculation meant he had enough time to bring his blade up to deflect her blow.

Ahsoka caught something, because she could hear Vader give out a cry of pain.  But her original intention, to remove his head from his shoulders, failed. He stumbled underneath her, and the motion threw her off so that she was thrown to the floor instead of landing on her feet like she intended.

The breath knocked out of her, she took a precious second to gather herself.

“Ahsoka!” she heard Ezra cry “C’mon! Hurry!”

That was good advice, she really should take it. She could feel faint tremors in the floor beneath her, and knew that the time to leave was now. She pushed herself up and managed to get on to her knees.

“Ahsoka,” a garbled voice from behind her called out.

Ahsoka’s head shot up, eyes going wide. The voice modulator had been damaged in her attack on Vader. It was barely working, there was a staticky quality to it. And underneath that crackling white noise, she could hear another voice, a voice she _knew_.

She turned her head, not daring to believe what her ears had just told her. Vader was kneeling on the floor, one hand down as he gathered himself. He was in profile to her, and for those first few seconds all she heard was his wheezing breath. It was more labored than before, she had managed to damage that in her attack as well.  

Then Vader turned his head to look at her.  She could see the crack she had left in the helmet. It exposed one eye, no longer the clear blue she remembered, but now Sith gold, a sign of the corruption of the Dark Side.

“Ahsoka,” he said again, voice modulator completely giving out, and it was _his_ voice. That was unnecessarily cruel as far as Ahsoka was concerned. She hadn’t needed that final blow to confirm his identity. Even with the mask half hiding him from her, she would know that face anywhere.

“Anakin,” she whispered, the breath knocked out of her with that one word. She looked at what she could see of her old Master. Where there had once been a light tan skin, was now drawn, and grey. There were lines of pain around his mouth and eyes. He looked tired, Ahsoka thought, and he looked old. The Anakin in her memories had never been old, he had been laughing, serious, or frighteningly intense, but not _old._

She climbed to her feet, trying to understand who she was seeing in front of her. A million questions rolled through her mind, and she couldn’t voice any of them. Vader was Anakin, but that couldn’t be right. Vader was the nightmare other nightmares of the Empire feared. He was the one talked about in hushed whispers among her many networks. He was the one the _Inquisitors_ were terrified of. Her Master, _her_ Anakin, could ever have done any of that.

And Vader had agreed with her. He had said Anakin was weak. He said he had killed him. And all this time it had been him? Him under that suit? Why had he lied to her?

No, Ahsoka realized with a chill in her heart. He hadn’t lied. When he said those words to her, not even ten minutes ago, he had believed them. She hadn’t felt a hint of deception in his words. What had he become?  What had he allowed himself to become twisted into? Then the guilt came into her heart, what had her leaving done to him?

Slowly he made his way to his feet, his gaze never leaving hers. All those years she had longed to see him again, to hear his laugh, to hear him call her ‘Snips’, to feel the confidence of knowing that he was at her back, and it had been for _nothing_. He wasn’t even ten feet from her, and she couldn’t move towards him, all she wanted to do was cry.

She had known he wasn’t well during the Siege of Mandalore. She had known that he was stressed and tired, and she still let him and Obi-Wan leave to rescue the Chancellor. If she had gone with them, if she had left Maul for the 501st to deal with, would Anakin have fallen like this? If she, Obi-Wan, and Padme, had all been there, to ground him, would he not have broken into this? Would Padme and Obi-Wan still be alive, even now?

She didn’t know, and she would never know. All she knew now was that he had every opportunity to kill her during their fight earlier and he hadn’t taken it. When she fell from the platform, the smart thing would have been to kill her then. But he hadn’t. He had come up here, to deal with Ezra and Kanan.

He knew better than to leave an enemy at his back. She _knew_ he knew better, he had lectured her about it enough times. Maybe not all was lost. Obi-Wan and Padme were not here, but she was. Anakin had never been able to let go of those he loved. If he was trying to avoid killing her, maybe there was a part of him that could still be reached. Maybe he was wrong, and that part of him that was Anakin wasn’t as dead as he claimed.

She had abandoned him once, she would not make the same mistake twice.

“I won’t leave you!” she shouted, “Not this time.”

That simple statement seemed to confuse him. She saw his forehead wrinkle, and his eyes darted everywhere, as if looking for the trap that lay in her words. For a second, she swore she saw the gold in his eye fade back to blue. For a second, she allowed herself to believe that her offer was enough, that he would reach _back_ to her.

But Fate, the Force, and Anakin himself, only gave her that brilliantly flickering hope for a second. Then the moment passed, and like a vengeful ghost, the Dark Side of the Force came up to surround him.

His saber came to life, that red blade casting demonic shadows on his face as he brought it up. “Then you will die,” he told her as he began advancing on her.

Ahsoka debated with herself for a moment on what to do. She wasn’t sure if she believed him. He didn’t ring false in the Force, but he was moving so _slowly_. It was giving her plenty of time to run, to duck underneath those walls that even now were closing this room in and leave him here, to save herself.

It really didn’t matter either way, whether he was lying to himself, or she was misreading him. She wasn’t going to leave him. The last time she had left him, the decision had haunted her for sixteen years, she wouldn’t survive doing it again. If she did, it would shatter what was left of her. Her soul, her honor, and her integrity would be gone. She would be a shell of her former self. He continued his advance on her, and Ahsoka squared her shoulders, preparing herself for whatever was about to come.

“AHSOKA!!” she heard Ezra yell from behind her. For a second, her resolve faltered. He wouldn’t leave her here, not of his own volition, any more then she would leave him to face a dangerous enemy alone. But this was her choice, not his, and she didn’t have time to explain anything to him. For one brief second, she wished she had. She wished she had confessed her fear of who Vader was to Kanan, Ezra, hell, even _Rex_. Because she was about to be sealed in here with him, and none of them would ever understand why.

She turned slightly, reaching behind her as she used the Force to push Ezra away. He wasn’t expecting such an attack from a friend and didn’t have any defenses up. He went flying through the air and landed with a loud oomph. But as the doors continued their way down, Ahsoka saw she had gotten him far enough away that he wouldn’t be able to dash back in her and doom himself.

Then Vader was almost upon her, she only had seconds to act. Reflexively she turned her back to him fully, igniting both her sabers in an X formation to stop his saber from cutting her down. Dimly she heard Ezra cry out “Nooooo!!!”, but she paid it little attention. Anakin had just made the most obvious move, _ever_. What was he doing? He had trained her to handle a more vicious attack than this. Did he think she spent the last sixteen years floating around in the galaxy never encountering trouble?

The doors landed with a loud thump, and hearing that, she knew that Ezra was safe. No matter what else happened this day, Ezra was safe. Kanan would get him off this planet. The Jedi, and more importantly her _friends,_ would not die here.

She pushed back, both with her body and the Force, forcing Anakin to take a step back and giving her enough room so she could pivot to face him. She brought her right blade up, but he had already brought is own up to counter it. She pushed against him, and his blade fell back just the slightest. She brought both blades down in an X strike, but again he was too fast for her, and had already moved his blade to counter her.

Not fast, she realized. He was slower then he had been when they were younger. But he _knew_ her, and how she fought. The foundation of her fighting style was something that he had built in her, for all that she had refined it over the last years without him. He was just too aware of what she would do next, and it was giving him an edge. She, on the other hand, was barely able to keep up with him. His current style lacked the finesse and speed of what she expected from him, and it was slowing down her reactions as she tried to stop herself from reacting like she was fighting him in years gone by.

He leaned down, bringing all his weight to bear on the blade, trying to force it into her face. Hurriedly she bent her elbows, allowing both of her blades to slip down, so they were pointing at the floor. His red saber slid down along them, causing him to lean over dangerously. Ahsoka wasn’t fooled. He was overbalanced, but this opening was just too obvious. Instead of striking, she chose to extinguish her lightsabers, and did a front roll trying to put some space between them, to give her time to think.

She came up on her feet, balancing on her toes to give her maximum movement, and reignited both blades. He came up quickly, revealing the feint he had been trying to get her to fall for. That movement was done at close to the speed he had been capable of in the old days.

But when he turned, he was walking that slow methodical pace again, giving her time to run. Why? If he really was trying to kill her, why give her time to run away? Perhaps she could still reach him, she could coax to life that spark she had felt in him.

She opened her mouth, intending to say something, but her eyes fell on the walls behind him. Perhaps it was not pity, or love, moving him to give her these ‘chances’, but knowledge. With the walls now firmly down across the room, they were trapped in here. She had nowhere to run _to._

He brought up the blade to strike, and she parried again, stepping back. He just continued to bring the blade up and down, and she grunted in pain as each strike jarred her bones. He was wearing her down. She was faster than him on her feet, but he didn’t need speed. Only for her to be tired and make a fatal error.

She had miscalculated. This was a tactic he had never used in the past. He had been even more agile on his feet then her, back then. But she had forgotten to consider that suit he was in, with its heavy armor. It made him heavier and stronger than her. He didn’t need any fancy tricks, or quick moves to overwhelm an enemy, and probably hadn’t for a long time. All he needed to do was resort to hammering away at her with all the finesse of a first-year trainee on a lightsaber. All he needed to do was _outlast_ her.

Ahsoka was frantically trying to think of a way to counter that plan, or barring that, putting some distance between them. She just needed time, and a bit of room so she could think of something to _do_.

She had gotten through to him. For just a moment, the dark side had receded, she was sure of it. Then her thoughts shattered as he once again brought his blade down and she had just enough strength left to bring up both of her blades to counter his strike, in an X formation, hoping it would give her the leverage she needed to throw him back.

That was the mistake he had been waiting for. As soon as her blades crossed, he moved faster than she could see, sliding that red blade all the way down until it was pressed on the intersection of where her blades crossed. The Force immediately begin pushing down all around her, and he brought his full weight to bear down on her. He had effectively trapped her. He was holding her here with the Force. Even if she did extinguish her blades, there was no way she could fight his hold in the Force to roll away. If she stayed here, eventually she was going to tire enough that she would fall to the floor, and again, he would kill her.  

There was a childish wail in the back of her mind, screaming how he promised, he _promised_ , that he would never let anyone hurt her. But as she met his one exposed eye, all she saw was madness there. The Dark Side whirled all around him, drowning out any feeling but an overwhelming hatred and the coldness of space. Anakin was gone. That brief flicker had been only the imaginings of a foolish woman, who missed her friend. She felt her knees beginning to buckle. And now Ahsoka was going to be killed by someone she had once trusted with all her heart.

Then the black obelisk next to them let out an ominous boom. Both turned to stare at it.  In all the events since she had shoved Ezra away, Ahsoka had forgotten about that. That this wasn’t just some Sith temple. That this was a ship. A ship that had been revving up its engines, but with no mechanisms to direct that power, it was going to tear itself apart. A burst of purple electricity, shot up into the ceiling, creating cracks where ever it touched the walls. Anakin looked up, distracted, and for one precious second the full power of his grip slid off her, allowing her to move. She took the opportunity to use the Force to push him away.

He slid across the floor, surprise radiating off him. Then he shook himself and reoriented his focus on her. He was going to kill her, she realized dimly. He was going to kill her and then he was going to get off this ship. She looked frantically around, there was always a way out, always an unexpected move you could do, and buy yourself a few precious seconds to survive. But the man who taught her that lesson, was now the one bearing down on her, and he would know that too.

Well, perhaps not every trick. No, there was nothing she could do that would leave him dead, and her alive. But that didn’t mean there were _no_ options to defeat him.

Ahsoka felt everything slowed down, and that she was looking outside of herself. She watched him come closer to her, and she could feel his triumph as he realized that he had worn her down. She watched him, noting that the last electric burst had left cracks in the floor, as well as the ceiling.

He knew she couldn’t kill him. She lacked the skills and power, and also the _will._ This was not a fight she wanted to win, for all that he was trying to kill her. But she couldn’t let him loose on the galaxy either. He was far too potent of a weapon to leave in Palpatine’s hands.

No, there was no insane move she could pull and expect to survive, but there was one she could do that would ensure that neither of them left this temple.

Ahsoka took one steadying breath, then deliberately brought her lightsabers up, and plunged them into the floor. Around her, the floor immediately buckled, and those cracks grew wider, spreading quickly towards him. Ahsoka saw Anakin’s eye widened as he realized what she was trying to do. If he fell through the floor, chances were good he wouldn’t be able to cut his way out of this temple before it exploded.

In a burst of speed, he came at her, swinging the blade, intending to kill her, and causing her lightsabers to extinguish before the floor gave out on both of them.

She watched him as he rushed at her. She was going to die, there was no way to stop that. He was going to die, but it wasn’t going to be directly at her hand. That was a choice she could live with, for however short that was going to be.

A calm settled over her. This was her choice, this had always been her choice, and she wouldn’t allow her regrets to stop her in any way, no matter how many people she was going to leave behind that would mourn her.

“AHSOKA!!!” a voice called out from behind her, but she could barely hear them over the pounding of her own heart as Anakin was almost at her, blade raised up. She raised her eyes to meet his, and then felt a hand on her shoulder.

Before she could even begin to wonder what was going on, there was a strong firm tug, and she felt herself being pulled back.

Then all she knew was darkness.  

 

Ashoka heard the soft hoot of Morai. Groaning, her head was killing her, she opened her eyes. Why was she laying on the floor? She pushed herself up and brought her right hand up to rub her forehead, trying to ease the ache there. She was surprised to realize that clenched in her hand was her lightsaber hilt. In fact, she was holding one in her left hand too. Why was she holding her lightsabers?

Adrenaline rushed through her system as a set of images started pouring in her mind’s eye. Vader. She had been fighting Vader. No, not Vader, _Anakin_. Ashoka’s heart clenched. She had been fighting Anakin, and she been about to lose. She had brought the lightsabers down on the floor, trying to kill them both, when she swore, she heard someone call out her name. And then she had woken up here. But where was here? She knew it wasn’t Malachor. That place was immersed in the Dark Side. Where ever here was, wasn’t, the Force here felt….odd.

“Ahsoka?” a voice asked from behind her.

She turned around, pulling her legs underneath her so that her feet were on the floor if she needed to move into an attack position. But the owner of that voice posed no threat to her.

“Ezra?” Ahsoka asked, trying to place why Ezra was here. She had pushed him away, hadn’t she? He gave her a delighted shy smile, and that was when she noticed the stormtrooper armor. That had _not_ been what he was wearing a few minutes ago. And his hair was different too. The long locks were gone, replaced by a short haircut, almost to his scalp. His face was leaner too, as if it had finally shed the last traces of childhood. And had he gotten _taller?_

“You look…” her voice trailed off. Older, he looked older. Which was _impossible._

He got to his feet and came over to her. His footsteps echoed oddly, like what he was walking on was made of no substance Ahsoka knew of.

“Wait,” she said, pulling herself to her feet “What happened?” The walkway they were both standing on was made of a jet-black material, lined by a thin vibrant light strand. No, not a strand. This was not crafted by anyone’s hands, organic or droid’s. It _was_ light.

Ahsoka blinked, and that was when she noticed the sky. No, not just the sky, it was also the _ground_. There was no horizon here, just an endless inky darkness, with stars dotting it, but they were in no configuration she recognized. The only objects she could see were several large rings, hanging suspended in that vast space.

When her gaze fell back on Ezra, she noticed there was one directly behind him. This close she could see it was at least fourteen feet tall, made of that same bright thin light that was on the walkway, topped with an intricate ornamental design.

Ashoka expanded every sense she had. She could faintly hear the murmuring of voices, in the background, but she couldn’t make out what they were saying. She only caught a word here or there, some of them in languages she understood, most were not. She shivered when she realized that she had Ezra were the only people here. There was no explanation for the source of those voices, and it was the _only_ thing she could hear. No animals, no signs of life, just that babbling river of voices. And then there was the Force.

She could feel it all around her. The Light Side and the Dark Side. But they were so intertwined with each other, she couldn’t make out the individual feel of them. It felt like she was running her hand over a tightly woven rug, and she was looking for one single strand. She wouldn’t be able to feel it, not without pulling it out from the rug, and destroying the weaving in the process.

She shivered. It at once felt like an entire ocean of peace, and at the same time the most unnatural thing she had ever felt. She had never had a problem distinguishing between the two sides of the Force, but in this place, they ran together. Every bit of training, every hard-learned lesson of her life, told her that this wasn’t right. But the Force itself didn’t seem to agree. It felt calm, welcoming, and _complete_. Like the edges of what she had seen when she was in the deepest meditative state. But she was nowhere near that collected right now.

And it was pure. Like, and unlike Mortis. Ahsoka felt like she had been walking in a shaded forest, and suddenly came upon a fully lit glen and could see every detail in sharp relief. She could feel the Force with no barrier, it seemed to seep into her with the smallest of efforts.

“Where am I?” she asked, more to herself than Ezra.

“You were fighting Vader,” Ezra’s voice was rushed. Ahsoka looked at him, concerned. He sounded as shaky as she felt.

One of the voices in the Force became distinct and clear _, “Obi-Wan once thought as you do,”_ Ahsoka could hear Anakin as clearly as if he was standing next to her, speaking in that strange modulated voice of his. But it couldn’t be with her ears, because Ezra didn’t even react to that deep voice, but went on answering her question.

“I saw you, in there,” he gestured to the empty ring. Ahsoka’s gaze followed to where his hand, was pointing, but all she saw through the ring was more of that starry impossible sky. If that was what he had pulled her through, that door was closed now.

“He was going to-“Ezra’s voice broke, and Ahsoka’s gaze fell back to him. He took a deep breath in, gathering himself, “So I grabbed you, and pulled you out of there.”

Ahsoka frowned, concentrating on that echo, trying to see who Anakin was talking to. When this was happening for him. But all she could make out was him, his back to her. The details of where he was, when he was, who he was addressing, they all remained beyond her sight.

Ahsoka reached out in the Force, trying to get a feel for what Anakin could possibly be feeling, and was hit by a wave of despair and grief so deep she almost drowned in it _._

Hastily she pulled back, the Force was so _responsive_ here. She had not meant to delve that deep into his mind. Of course, Anakin didn’t react to the intrusion. She wasn’t there, she was here, in this place that was like none she had ever been in before. She was only seeing his reflection.

A reflection of what though? The past? The future? Was there any real way to tell?

Anakin’s shoulders slumped, just the tiniest bit, and he turned around, facing Ahsoka, and his unknown companion. Even through the helmet, even through the suit, Ahsoka could see Anakin’s intense focus on whoever he was talking to. Whoever they were, they were important to him, they mattered to him. And, more improbably, Anakin knew and _acknowledge_ that. There was no trace of the self-deception and lies that the one she fought had wrapped around him like a cape.

 _“You don’t know the power of the Dark Side.”_ That didn’t sound like the boast of a triumphant Sith Lord. It sounded like the words of a trapped man. An impression solidified in Ahsoka’s mind by the feeling of anguish pouring out of him, and the lines of defeat on every inch of his tall frame.  

Not just important to him, Ahsoka realized. This was someone Anakin _loved._ Someone he wanted safe, but also someone he felt he had failed. She reached out into the Force, feeling it come to her so easily, but it made no difference. When this was, where this was, even who Anakin was talking to remained frustratingly out of reach.

“Anakin,” Ahsoka whispered, heart breaking for him. Even if he could hear her, feel her, she had no words of comfort to offer him. She could see around the edges of this moment. Enough to know how much was riding on it, how much was built into it. The future. The past. Truth and lies. But there were so many ripples going in so many directions, away from the smallest of choices made here, that Ahsoka couldn’t clearly see where any of it would lead. This moment wasn’t even about Anakin, not really.

It was about whoever Anakin was talking to. It was about a choice that person had to make. And that choice in turn would either doom Anakin or set him free. Ahsoka wasn’t sure which one Anakin would embrace. He was still lost in hopelessness and despair, but that cold fire of anger was no longer clinging to him. The emotion that had burned so bright in her presence, back on Malachor, it had been extinguished

This was the future she was sensing. A possibility in this stream of time that the Force, for its own reasons, was showing her. This was an Anakin who was being _honest_ with himself.

She wasn’t sure if that was enough. He might be starting to face what had been done, what _he_ had done, but he was also swimming in grief and loss. Whatever was about to happen, Anakin didn’t want to do it. He didn’t want to let this person go, because he loved them, but he also didn’t want them near, for the same reason.

This wasn’t a flash of a feeling, like it had been during their fight. This was ongoing, and persistent, and Anakin didn't deny it. And because he didn't deny that he cared about whoever this was, it was causing him to wildly swing back and forth from the light and the dark in every step going forward. But the fact that embracing the light was even an option-

A light hoot broke her concentration, snapping that delicate vision, and it all dissolved in her mind. Ahsoka blinked, and looked towards where the sound had come from, at the top of that intricate ring.

“Morai,” she said, relieved to see a familiar touchstone in this strangely echoing place. “You’re here.” The bird gave a little hoot of acknowledgment.

Ahsoka placed her lightsabers back on her belt, and lifted her right arm up, offering it to the little Convor, who immediately flew down to perch on her upraised arm.

“Morai?” Ezra asked, looking at the bird curiously.

“She’s an old friend,” Ahsoka went with the simpler explanation. Explaining Mortis, and the Father, Sister, and Brother, would require too much of an in-depth explanation right now. If he even believed her when all was said and done. It said something about the nature of Mortis, that even in this place, Ahsoka was willing to bet good money that Ezra wouldn’t believe what she told him about that world.

She leaned down and gently rubbed the bird’s chin. “I owe her my life,” she told Ezra solemnly, and then met his eyes, giving him a grateful smile, “And now I owe you that as well.”

He looked caught between pride and embarrassment, Ahsoka let her gaze fall from his face, and took in everything she could see of this place. Those strange walkways were everywhere, looping around, up and down, with no rhyme or reason that she could see. And along those roads, everywhere she could see those strange rings.

“How did you get here?” she breathed, as she took it all in. She had never heard of anything like this in any of her classes at the temple, or in her long years on the run.

Frowning, she brought her gaze back to Ezra. “And where is Kanan?” Ahsoka didn’t care that it had clearly been a while since she had seen the two of them, there was no way Kanan would let his padawan come to this place by himself if he had a choice. It was too outside the known for Kanan to feel comfortable letting this be a solo mission.

Ezra’s eyes closed, and even if she were blind Ahsoka would see the grief in him. “You’ve missed a lot,” he said.

Ahsoka knew this pain. Or she had _known_ this pain. Given what he had become, she wasn’t sure that knowing that Anakin wasn’t actually dead was any better.

She leaned forward and put a comforting hand on his shoulder, “Tell me,” she said.

 

It took a while, if there was such a thing as time in this place. Ezra told her about the growing numbers of rebellions popping up all over the quadrant. About Thrawn, and his tightening grip on Lothal. About how Kanan had died, saving Ezra, Sabine, and Hera. How Ezra had a vision given to him by the loth-wolves, which led him to the Lothal Temple, which led him to the gateway to here.

Ahsoka had no words of comfort to offer, when he finished his tale. She had never been good at comforting people when they were in pain. Ahsoka could fight. She had learned, at a heavy cost, on how to strategize. The long years of being on the run from the Empire had taught her to curb her impulsive nature. She mostly had control of her temper these days. But offering solace was something she had never quite gotten the knack of.

She briefly wished for Rex’s presence. That was his gift, a solid presence that knew when to speak and when to be quiet. Or, even more improbably, Obi-Wan. He had been good with strangers, offering hope and reassurance with his quick tongue. It was only when dealing with the people he loved, that his words failed him.

She squeezed Ezra shoulder, offering with touch things she would only botch with words, and sent a pulse of love and grief along the Force. Ahsoka had never been very adept at sending emotions through the Force, but in this place, it was much easier for her to do. Ezra’s eyes met hers, and she could feel his answering gratitude in the Force, in a clumsily returned gesture.

Ahsoka and Kanan hadn’t been close, but he had been someone she liked, and someone she had trusted. He had been one of the last links to her childhood, and now he, like Obi-Wan, Plo Koon, and Yoda, was one with the Force.

Ahsoka walked away, giving Ezra a moment to compose himself. He didn’t like showing such deep emotions, not even with people he loved. Only time would sooth Ezra’s grief. It would never go away, but it would lessen in intensity. In the meanwhile, perhaps she could offer him some insight on how they ended up here.

She wandered further down this strange road they found themselves on, doing her best to ignore those odd echoes her footsteps produced. She expanded her sense in the Force as much as she dared, trying to understand what was around them.

“This place is ancient,” Ahsoka remarked, trying to put into words something that was beyond such small limited concepts. “Like a world between worlds.”

“Yeah,” Ezra agreed. “Feels like that dream where I met Dume.”

“The creature named Dume, it appeared after Kanan died?” She asked, looking back at him. Ezra nodded.

“That has to be more than a coincidence,” she remarked. But she didn’t know how they were even going to go about deciphering the meaning of it. None of the schooling she had in the Temple had ever mentioned anything like this. Not even in the most outlandish stories told in the creche by the younglings. It didn’t matter anyway, all the texts of the Jedi, all of the knowledge of the Jedi, was long gone.

“I know.” Ezra came up to her, all pain hidden away on his face, “Caleb Dume. A wolf named Dume.” So Kanan had told Ezra about that, she had wondered. Kanan had his reasons about why he didn’t want to be known by that name. It was an old wound with the Jedi. Ahsoka had asked him, in the beginning, when they had been getting a feel for each other, about it. She hadn’t been trying to pry into anything personal. Mainly she asked, because she couldn’t recall any padawan named Kanan Jarrus at the temple.

His face had grown hard, and he told her flatly that he had gone by another name then, but that boy had died with his Master, Depa Billaba. It had taken Ahsoka several days, and many meditation sessions, to remember who had been apprenticed to Billaba. It was hard to reconcile that bright, but serious boy, who had taken several saber lessons from her, to Kanan’s weary cynical demeanor. They had never spoken of it again, and Ahsoka left the issue alone out of respect for Kanan’s pain. She was heartened to learn that he had healed enough to be honest about it with Ezra.

“What does it mean?” Ezra’s voice was anxious, looking to her for guidance. He wasn’t ready to be on his own. He wasn’t ready to be a Knight, there was still so much he had to learn, but Ahsoka wasn’t the one to teach him. He would have to figure it out, like Kanan had done. Ezra was now the last Jedi in the galaxy.

Ahsoka gave his question serious thought, “Perhaps Kanan’s will is still at work,” she mused, “through the wolf.”

Ezra’s voice was just confused. “How could that be?” He was standing here, in this place and wondering _that?_ Time was all around them. The Force, both the Light and the Dark, was all around them, and present in a way Ahsoka doubted Ezra had ever felt before. She could hear the echoes of various possibilities humming underneath every word they spoke. Even now, while they were talking, she could hear that murmuring of millions of voices. She still couldn’t make them out individually, like that glimpse of Anakin in the future, but she could hear them like a babbling brook.

Perhaps she was being too harsh on Ezra. The Force knew at that age Ahsoka hadn’t understood any of the deeper complexities and mysteries of the Force either. She still didn’t, but she did understand, _now_ , that it was for more than just moving rocks. It had a will of its own, and it wasn’t anything a living creature could ever fully understand, for all the fact that some of them could feel and direct it. Ezra, it seemed, still needed to learn that lesson.

“Well,” she said, trying to recall old lessons, “Kanan is part of the Cosmic Force now.” She found herself gesturing up to a constellation, that even now was forming into a pattern of a wolf. Was it the Force using her hand? Or was it her will that made those stars move? Or Kanan’s will? It was so hard to tell in this place, the barriers between her and the Force were that thin. Ezra was too full of emotion, of conflict, so he wasn’t in any danger. But Ahsoka was older and had more experience in balancing her heart with her mind. That worked against her here, because she had no way to filter out anything.

She could easily see how someone could lose themselves in this place. She shuddered to think what Anakin would have experienced if he _had_ managed to follow her here. Mortis had been bad enough on him. There was no telling what would happen to him here.

“There are ways that those who have passed on may still guide and influence the living,” She thought of Yoda, his farewell and apology, in the Temple of Lothal. It had been the Force, she was sure of that. Yoda was long gone, but that vision had a trace of him. She had grown up with Yoda, she knew his presence in the Force almost as well as she knew her own. When she had looked back as the Lothal Temple shook all around her, she could see her old creche master contained within that vision.

“It’s not impossible,” she said firmly. She needed Ezra too understand this.

“But if it was Kanan who sent me here…” his voice trailed off, and she could practically hear his mind latch on to something.

“What is it?” Ahsoka asked, worried about what conclusion he had jumped to.

“I thought I was sent here to stop the Empire,” He looked at her, a frantic brittle hope in his eyes, “but then I found you.” Ahsoka stared at him, not following. He gestured his hands out in frustration “Don’t you see?” he asked fervently.

Ahsoka’s mind whirled, “You think that Kanan sent you here to help me.” That didn’t sound right though, at least not fully. Her presence here was _important_ , she could feel that, but saving her life was just the byproduct of that.

“Not just you!” Ezra’s voice was full of fire and Ahsoka’s heart skipped a beat as she realized what conclusion he had drawn.

 _“Wanna ride?”_ Kanan’s voice called out, his voice becoming impossibly clear out of the void around them. If she hadn’t known better, she would have sworn he was standing right next to her.

Ezra frantically looked around them, trying to find the source of what they were hearing. When Kanan failed to appear, his face scrunched up in frustration. He turned to her “I can do it,” he said, his voice cracking, “I can save Kanan, just like I saved you.”

“Ezra,” Ahsoka cautioned. Yes, he had saved her, but that didn’t mean he would be able to do the same with Kanan. They needed to think about this, meditate on it. Nothing in this place happened by accident, and the power here was not to be used lightly. She reached her hand out, trying to get Ezra to focus on her for a moment.

_“Then you will truly know what it means to be a Jedi.”_

Ezra’s face lit up, and he turned, following some inner guide Ahsoka couldn’t hear. Ahsoka felt him gather the Force to him, and before she could say anything he took off at a breakneck speed.

“Ezra wait!” Ahsoka called out, trying to get him to stop. Morai gave a hoot of alarm, and took off after him, leaving Ahsoka’s arm. She was only a few seconds behind the bird, feet pounding on the walkway.

 _“Kid, I’m about to let everyone in on the secret,”_ she heard Kanan’s voice filled with fear and determination as Ezra came up to one of the rings. He paused in front of it, then shook his head, and dashed away.  

Ahsoka marveled at his speed. How was he going so _fast?_ Then a chilling thought occurred to her. Kanan had been a young padawan himself when Order 66 had happened. It was entirely possible he had forgotten all the lessons the younglings had about abusing this technique too much. That you could unknowingly burn your body out channeling too much of the Force. And there was so much of it here to channel. Ignoring her own training, she pulled more into herself, hurrying her speed to try to match Ezra’s.

 _“I survived one war, I’m not ready for another one.”_ Ezra suddenly dashed to the right, on a path that Ahsoka would have sworn wasn’t there a second ago. Morai gave out a trilling cry, urging Ahsoka to hurry.

_“Battles leave scars, some you can’t see.”_

Why could she hear Kanan, when Ezra couldn’t hear Anakin? What was the Jedi trying to tell his padawan? And her? Every sense she had was telling her that what Ezra wanted to do was impossible. Ahsoka didn’t know why it was possible for her to be saved, but not Kanan. She didn’t have time to think about it. She needed to catch up with Ezra before he did something that could rend the galaxy apart.

“This way!” Ezra cried out, gesturing for her to follow him. “One of these portals must lead to Kanan.”

Ahsoka followed determinedly and was somewhat shocked when he came to an abrupt stop in front of a ring that looked like all the others he passed by. She came to a sliding halt and took in a few deep breaths to calm her racing heart. She needed to speak softly, she didn’t want to spook Ezra into doing something even more rash. “Ezra, think about what you are doing,” she pleaded.

“I know what I’m doing!” he said defiantly. Had she ever been that sure of herself? Probably, knowing her. Ahsoka’s first impulse was always to action, even now, for all that she had learned to reign it in. “Here in this place, I can change things,“ his voice was full of conviction and hope, “I can stop Kanan from dying.”

For one impossible second, Ahsoka was sure that those last words were being echoed by Anakin. Not the Anakin of the false deep voice, but the Anakin she had known. But instead of saying Kanan, she heard him say Padme.

She shook her head, now was not the time to dwell on the past. “You don’t know that!” Ahsoka protested.

“Yes, I do!” He turned around to look at her, but Ahsoka was sure he wasn’t seeing her, wrapped up in the possibility of what he thought he could do “If I can change your fate, I can change his.”

That was when the ring behind Ezra flared to life. He turned, taking several steps towards it, as an image slowly coalesced.

Ahsoka cautiously followed him. Presumably he knew what this meant, she had woken up in front of a ring like this one. The image resolved into what looked like a curved dome platform, empty of anyone.

Ahsoka frowned, this was not what she had expected to see. Then, from somewhere she couldn’t see from this angle, she heard the sound of an AT-AT’s cannons going off. Then Kanan was running across the platform, and he took a stand just as a wall of flames reached the edge of the dome. He stretched his hands out bringing the Force up, keeping the flames at bay.

“I can reach him,” Ezra said.

“Ezra,” Ahsoka said gently, trying to get his attention. He didn’t answer her, and she tried to take a step forward, only to find herself frozen in place. She couldn’t reach him, not physically anyway. No, she wasn’t _allowed_ to stop him. This was a test put in front of him, and him alone.

She watched as Kanan reached behind him, catching Hera as she tried to reach him. With a gentle push in the Force, he threw her back into Ezra’s arms. The Ezra who was in the ring, sitting on an Imperial troop ship, and watching what was unfolding with horror-filled eyes. Ahsoka didn’t need the Force to know what Kanan was going to do next.

Maybe Ezra wasn’t wrong, Maybe Kanan had wanted to save her, but not so that she would save Kanan. No, Kanan had helped lead her here so that she could save _Ezra._ Just because she couldn’t physically interfere, didn’t mean she couldn’t try to guide him. Ezra wasn’t alone in this.

She pitched her voice low and gentle, “Kanan gave his life, so that you could live.” Ezra’s shoulders hunched, and Ahsoka pressed on more urgently, as Kanan looked at his love and his padawan. She could feel Kanan gather the Force to him. “If he is taken out of this moment, you _all_ die.”

“You don’t understand what you are asking me to do,” Ezra’s voice was full of tears.

Oh, foolishly arrogant child, “Yes, I do,” Ahsoka allowed her own grief to fill her voice. “You can’t save your Master, and I can’t save mine.” No, that was someone else’s role. Maybe, possibly, even here in this place made of time and the Force, the future was always in motion. But it never could have been Ahsoka who could have pulled Anakin off his path, she realized that now.

Ezra still wasn’t looking at her, but for the first time since he had taken off running, Ahsoka thought he might actually be listening to her. Putting every bit of sympathy she could in her voice, she understood all too well what this would cost him, she said pleadingly, “I’m asking you to let go.”

Ezra reached out one hand, and for a horrible breathless second Ahsoka worried that she had failed to sway him too, that she had lost another friend this day. Then, within the ring, Kanan turned, bringing up both hands to push the ship, and it’s precious passengers, away. Without the Force to hold them back, the flames engulfed him. Ezra’s hand dropped to his side.

“Kanan!!” Ahsoka heard Hera’s voice scream.

The image in the ring faded away and Ezra’s head dropped to his chest. She heard him bite back a sob, but when he turned to face her, his face was curiously blank.

“I’m sorry Ezra,” she said as he walked past her. “But you must see. Kanan found the moment when he was needed most, and he did what he had to do, for everyone.”

“That’s the lesson. I didn’t see but now,” his voice trailed off, and Ahsoka came up to him, putting a hand on his shoulder, offering what solace she could.

He turned his head slightly to face her, “Sometimes I wish my life were different.” His voice sounded older then it had even a moment ago. “I wish I could see my Mom and Dad. Why can’t things be like they were?”

There was the plaintive wail of the lost child in that tone, but Ahsoka found that she could relate all too easily. It was a question that had haunted her to, over the last sixteen years. She would give much to go back to when things were simpler. To the Clone Wars when she had been so sure she knew the difference between the bad guys and the good. When she had been so sure that what she was doing was right and just. She would even be willing to go back to a year ago, before she encountered Anakin’s presence during the beginning of the Siege of Lothal.

A loud boom of thunder cracked across the sky in answer, breaking into both of their thoughts.  “We can’t stay here,” Ahsoka muttered, quickly hurrying down the pathway to go back to the ring she had entered from. “You opened the door to this world. Do you know how to close it?”

“Sabine will know,” Ezra said, hurrying to catch up with her. “We can do it together.” He let out a little laugh “They will be so happy to see you.”

The Force all around her pulsed at those words, and Ahsoka stopped moving. If the Force had written it in the sky, it couldn’t have been clearer to her. That was not how this worked. She had come through one door, she needed to leave back through it. Ezra was too caught up in the turmoil of the last few minutes to hear what was being said, but Ahsoka wasn’t.

_Balance in all things._

“I can’t go with you,” she told Ezra, not surprised that he wasn’t understanding. His heart was hurt and that made the Force hard to hear.

“Perhaps I can,” a voice boomed from behind them.

She and Ezra stiffened. That had not been one of the voices that even now were still quietly going on around them. It lacked the echoing quality that both Kanan’s and Anakin’s voice had when they broke through.

Both of them turned to look back at the ring they had just walked away from. It contracted, and Ahsoka could make out a cold blue flame forming in its center. Instantly all around them, the Force grew cold, that balance she had sensed earlier tilting into the Dark Side’s favor. Ahsoka could hear the protest, from _both_ sides of the Force about this imbalance being introduced into this world. Whoever was on the other side of that ring, they were _seeped_ in Darkness.

On instinct she put her arm out, and pushed Ezra behind her.

“Ezra Bridger,” a gleeful voice cackled, “And Ahsoka Tano,” There was a figure hunched over the flame. “Mine at last.” And he laughed, triumphantly.

The tone was different, it had none of the elegance and cool reserve it once had, still had when he was speaking in public, but Ahsoka recognized it nonetheless.

Palpatine.

She could make out his shadowed figure in the ring more clearly now. He was crouched low over that blue flame, speaking words in no language that she understood. She had a feeling it was a language thought gone extinct a thousand years ago. As the words came into this world, the Force twisted, all around them. Ahsoka had just enough warning to brace herself when a stream of blue fire came out of the ring.

Even with that warning she barely had time to get up a shield in the Force to protect herself and Ezra, as she had seen Kanan do not moments before. Her hands in front of her, she could see the flames hit inches from her face and spilt off to the sides.

The power behind that attack was enough to take her breath away. She physically braced herself, but she could feel her feet slipping on the surface of the path she was on. Unlike Kanan, there was nowhere here that she could shove Ezra to for safety.

Tilting her head enough she cried out “I. Can’t. Hold. It.”

She felt, more than saw, Ezra bring the Force up to bear, reinforcing her own shield. The deluge kept coming, and Ahsoka tried to take the brunt of it, tried to hold on, if only to protect Ezra. He was her friend, and that was rare enough. He was also the only Jedi left now that Kanan was dead. Despite her complicated feelings towards the Order, she wouldn’t let it end here. She wasn’t going to lose another loved one to Palpatine’s ambitions of galactic dominance. Or even worse, have Ezra taken and corrupted.

And as suddenly as it started, the blue flames stopped as if they had never been. Ahsoka collapsed to her knees, grateful for the moment's rest.

“Are you all right?” Ezra asked, coming up beside her. But she could still hear that cackling laugh. She didn’t know why Palpatine had stopped, but it wasn’t because he was tired. If she had to guess, it was probably because he was playing with them.

She forced herself up. She didn’t have the strength to resist another onslaught, and she could feel Palpatine gathering himself in the Force again.

She looked at Ezra, “Run!” she screamed.

They both turned, and as one, they took off, that mad laugh following them. Then it wasn’t just the laugh. Ahsoka could feel that cold fire again, coming closer and closer.  She didn’t dare look back, didn’t dare slow down in the slightest. She could feel Ezra beside her in the Force, and that was all she needed to know.

And then he wasn’t there anymore.

“AHSOKA!” his panicked voice called out, and she turned to see that his leg had been caught by that pillar of fire. It was slowly pulling him back to the ring that Palpatine had forced open.

“Show me the way Ezra,” Palpatine commanded, the Dark Side embedded in his voice, hammering away at Ahsoka’s shields, and she wasn’t even the direct _target_ of it, “Help me!”

Ezra was frantically trying to claw his way free “He’s coming through!” he screamed as his gaze fell back on the ring.

Energy was energy, even in this place. Ahsoka ignited her blades and used the Force to jump behind Ezra, bringing them down to slash at that energy holding him.

There was a scream of pain from the ring, but the fire retreated. She shoved Ezra, encouraging him to move. Whatever she had done that had hurt Palpatine, it hadn’t lasted for long, because she could feel the flames coming for them again.

Both of them ran, feet pounding on the walkway, and they were fast approaching the intersection where they would have to spilt up. She didn’t know what ring Ezra had come through, but it wasn’t the same one she had. Ahsoka couldn’t go with him, every knowledge she had gained of the Force was telling her that. But if she said nothing to him, he would try to come with her, and that would lead to a disaster for them all.

“Keep going,” she said, “You can make it.”

He looked as if he was going to protest, but then the flames came closer. “When you get back,” he said, “Come and find me.”

“I will,” she said, “I promise,” and then she veered to the right, heading to the ring that the Force was pushing her to. She hoped it was the one she had entered from, and Palpatine hadn’t managed to twist the Force in this place so much that she was running right into his trap. Her ribs were killing her, and she battled the pain every step of the way. As she headed to the door, Morai flying behind her, she kept her focus on that inky blackness. Nothing was showing, no images of Malachor, or anything else. Taking a deep breath, she plunged through the surface, expecting to fall into that starry void, and then there was nothing.

 

Ahsoka became aware of herself very slowly. She felt like she was floating, but also standing, and laying down all at the same time. She blinked, and tried to move her hands, to use them to make her way through the black nothingness that was all around her. She was slightly disturbed to realize that she couldn’t feel them. Reaching out to the Force, her panic grew when it refused to come to her. Where was she? Had she walked into the wrong ring? Had Palpatine managed to trick her after all?

“Hello?” she called out, grateful that at least her voice worked here. “Morai?”

“This path has been put before you,” a woman, whose voice Ahsoka didn’t recognize answered. “The choice is yours alone. “

Ahsoka felt her forehead tighten as she frowned, “Excuse me?” she asked.

There was a long pause, then a voice made of millions of others, coming from everywhere, and nowhere said “ _Choose.”_

While a bit clearer, it wasn’t exactly the answer she was looking for.

“Choose what?” she asked.

Ahsoka realized suddenly that her body was back, or perhaps it was simply that she could feel it again. She wiggled her fingers, grateful that she was no longer a disconnected voice in this dark pit. Then she felt her boots land, fall, _appear,_ on a solid floor that had not been there a second ago.

Two objects appeared out of the nothingness. It should have hurt her eyes, to have light appear out of nowhere that suddenly in such darkness, but it didn’t. It was two rings about twenty feet in front of her, each with its own softly lit path leading to it. Ahsoka shivered as she noticed the rings looked exactly like the ones that had been in the world between the worlds.

“What is this?” she asked, angling her head up, wondering if whoever brought her here would show themselves. At least it wasn’t Palpatine. There was a small bit of comfort in that. “Where am I?”

Master Yoda’s voice flowed through the space, answering her “Through the Force, things you will see. Other places. The future. The past. Old friends, long gone.”

Ahsoka blinked and tried to contain the wave of grief and longing she felt at hearing that beloved voice once again. She allowed herself to draw comfort and strength from it, for all the aches it caused in her heart. Then she felt her temper begin to rise. Why wasn’t the power that brought her here using its own voice? Clearly, it _could_ speak with it’s ominous “Choose.” Why use Master Yoda’s words then? Was it trying to make her trust it, using voices that she would respond too?

Ahsoka shook her head. She had been a spy for too long. She was using a logic that didn’t apply in this case. She didn’t know what was speaking to her, or why, but she didn’t think it was trying to deceive her. Hadn’t the first woman been someone she didn’t know? Maybe it was borrowing voices connected to her? The only time it had spoken, it resorted to a one-word statement. Maybe this was the only way it could make it’s meaning known to her? Ahsoka had certainly seen many strange things in her life. The Father, Daughter, and Son had certainly been an eye-opening experience on how the Force could manifest itself.

So, she stopped thinking about the voice the power had used, and the words themselves. Interpretation of any kind, from prophecy to poetry, had never been her strong suit. So, she voiced her best guess.

She gestured to the rings, “They lead to two different points in time?” she asked.

“ _Choose_.”

Ahsoka started, but no more words came. Frustrated, she was trying here, and this voice was giving her _nothing,_ she hissed through her teeth, “I don’t understand,” she said.

Then it was Obi-Wan’s voice echoing all around her “The future is always in motion,” he said. Ahsoka’s heart picked up speed as that almost forgotten voice crossed her ears, saying what she had to have heard from him hundreds of times.

Tears welled up in her eyes. This voice had faded so much in her memory that she had forgotten the subtle rhythms and cadences in it. The nuances of his sarcasm and the irony he could breathe into each word. Her memory of him had faded so much around the edges, and the worst part was she hadn’t realized how _much_ she had forgotten. Then that far away Obi-Wan gave a rueful chuckle and said, “Although in your case it is the past.”

She waited, but no more words in Obi-Wan’s voice came. Only that weirdly echoing voice. _“Choose,”_ it said again.

Choose between _what?_ Both rings were identical, and neither was showing where they led. She once again tried to reach out with the Force, trying to get a sense of what lay beyond them, and again it refused to come. She put her hands on her hips. Well, whatever power that brought her here seemed to be willing to answer questions, in a really roundabout way. “Are you asking me to choose between the future. Or the past?” Ahsoka demanded.

There was no answer.

“The Jedi never taught me how to deal with this,” she complained, mostly to herself.

Immediately, a male voice she didn’t recognize answered her “The legacy of the Jedi is failure, hypocrisy, hubris.”

Ahsoka’s head shot up, offended that this person dared to pass judgment on the Jedi. “That’s not true!” she shouted, and there was another voice, a female voice, echoing her sentiments in time with her.

_“Choose.”_

Ahsoka looked from one to the other. “Which one is the right one?” she asked.

 _“Both.”_ Oh, look a new word. _“Neither.”_ Then a long pause _. “Choose.”_

She looked from one ring to the other. “I don’t see the difference,” she said.

Obi-Wan spoke again, “Your eyes can deceive you. Don’t trust them.”

Ahsoka narrowed her eyes, “What am I supposed to trust?”

“What does your heart tell you?” said that woman from before, the one who had first spoken.

Ahsoka hissed, “Nothing,” she said, “because you won’t let me _see._ ” Then like a whiplash the Force came up to her. Her mind was filled with sensation as she could feel both rings in her mind. Both held hope and sorrow, pain and love. Neither would be easy to walk, and sacrifice was called for no matter which way she went. The only difference being what she would be asked to give up.

Then the Force cut off, and Ahsoka was left gasping at the barrage of information that had been dumped in her head without so much as a by your leave.

She gathered herself, trying to modulate her voice into something resembling calm “Why do I get a choice?” she asked.

“You speak of the prophecy of the one who will bring balance to the Force,” And that was Master Windu’s voice. He sounded both intrigued and irritated.

Ahsoka shook her head, “I’m not the one of that prophecy. That was Anakin.”

Obi-Wan’s voice again, “Then you are lost!!” and there was such grief, pain, and heartache just in his tone that Ahsoka gasped. When had he ever uttered those words? And to who?

Her heart sank as she realized there was only one person in the entire galaxy that could break Obi-Wan’s heart that thoroughly.

“Anakin,” she said, “You are saying that Anakin is so lost, that he can’t restore balance.”

“Your feelings do you credit,” Obi-Wan’s praise wasn’t directed at her, but she understood that she was being told she had latched on to the right idea.

“Not that I don’t appreciate the compliment, but that doesn’t answer my question,” she said “I tried to reach him, and I _failed._ Why choose me? Why bring me here at all?”

Again, that woman she didn’t know repeated, “This path has been put before you.”

And why no one else? Was it because she had traveled into the Void? She wasn’t the only one who had been there? “Did Ezra get the same choice?”

There was a long pause, then Ezra’s voice, sad but full of resolve, “There were several paths in front of me. While this one wasn’t the one I wanted to take, it was what I had to do.”

Oh, what had that foolish boy _done_? But clearly, whatever it was, it was something he had gone into with his eyes wide open. “Okay,” Ahsoka looked around, “But that still doesn’t tell me why I get a choice?”

_“Choose.”_

Ashoka wanted to _strangle_ that voice. “Between what?” Ahsoka asked. “This seems to be escaping your understanding, but in order to _choose_ , I have to know the difference. Otherwise, it’s just chance.” She gestured to the ring, “I don’t know enough.”

A droid’s cheerful beep warbled her name, [Ashoka,] R2 said [The original parameters have been altered. Accept new mission?]

Ahsoka cocked her head, trying to understand the underlying meaning. “New mission?” she asked, “What was the _old_ mission?”

The ring on the right flared to life. Ahsoka jumped back, wondering what she would see, but no image appeared. Only the voice of the man who had spoken before, about the Jedi’s failures. He sounded younger here though, and in his voice was both a pleading and confident ring, like he was sure what he was saying was right, but aware he could be lying to himself. “There is still good in him.”

Ahsoka frowned, who was he talking about? “Is this the original mission?” she asked.

In answer, the ring on the left flared to life, and woman’s voice came speaking out of it. It wasn’t the one Ahsoka had heard before, this was a new voice. “Forgiveness isn’t about deserve,” she said, voice wry and amused. But there was an underlying fondness to it, that revealed she cared about whoever she was talking to.

Ahsoka looked to her left, and then to her right. She felt the voice stir, “ _Choo-“_

“Choose,” she finished with it. “Yeah, I know. Got it.” But choose what? She didn’t even understand the context of what either person from the rings was talking _about,_ never mind which ring represented what had been the original “mission,” whatever that meant.

She looked at the path the man’s voice came from and tried to think about this logically. Obi-Wan had been fond of telling her that there were no coincidences in the Force. Ahsoka looked to the left ring, wondering about that. If that was true, both speakers were talking about the same person.

Ahsoka looked down the path that the woman’s voice came from. She had been speaking of forgiveness, but forgiving _who?_ Anakin? Ezra? The Jedi? Ahsoka herself?  

Oh, this was ridiculous. For all she knew, the coincidence was that both speakers were talking _to_ the same person, not about the same subject. Either way, the only way out of this place was through one of those rings, so a choice _had_ to be made.

“Any advice?” she asked the air sarcastically, not really expecting an answer.

“Your focus determines your reality,” a male voice answered her. Ahsoka jumped a bit. That was one of Obi-Wan’s favorite sayings, but that had _not_ been Obi-Wan’s voice.

Ahsoka took in a deep breath. She had made many mistakes in her life. Yes, she had made them all with the best of intentions, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t aware of them, and what they had cost others. She looked at the ring the man’s voice had come from.

She had thought there was still good in Anakin, and she had been right, if that future vision was anything to go by. But the woman had been speaking of forgiveness. And that was something Ahsoka badly needed to believe in right this moment. Forgiveness for her mistakes, for the Jedi’s, and yes, even Anakin’s.

She squared her shoulders, and deliberately walked up to the ring that had contained the woman’s voice. Pausing just before she crossed the threshold, she waited to see what, if anything, would be said.

“May the Force be with you Snips,” Anakin’s voice told her, fondness and affection curling around every word.

Tears formed in her eyes, and she almost, _almost_ , went to the other ring. To go back to what originally was supposed to happen. That was the last thing in the galaxy she wanted to hear right this moment, but she didn’t think it was meant to wound. She looked at the ring in front of her. She wasn’t one to back down once she had committed to something. Taking in a deep breath, she walked through the ring.

 

 

10 Days Before the Battle of Alderaan (BBA)

 

 

And she awoke back on the temple on Malachor,

Morai hooting in her ear.

She was sprawled out on the floor, and for a moment she wondered why that vast, immense power had even bothered. She was right where the ring was _supposed_ to lead her. On this desolate place, with no help, no ship, and surrounded by the hostile power of the Dark Side.

Maybe she was overthinking this. Perhaps it had all been a fever dream, or a vision so that her conscious mind could interpret the sensation of falling through time to her poor overwhelmed senses. It didn’t matter, she was here, and if she wanted to survive this planet, and fulfill her promise to Ezra she needed to get up and get moving.

She climbed to her feet and stared in wonder at the empty air she had just fallen out of.

“May the Force be with you, Ezra,” she whispered. No matter what happened, no matter what path she had found herself on, the Force was telling her it would be a long time before she would see him again.

 

 

ABA – Day 91

 

 

Ahsoka was developing a very profound dislike for Malachor. If she had to rely on her own senses, she wouldn’t be sure how long she had been there. Time was hard to track in this world. Both because of the giant dome over the temple, shielding her from the sun, and the suffocating nature of the Dark Side. She found that she needed to meditate at least twice a day to keep her own shields in order.

The fact that she did know how long she had been here was another reason she disliked this planet. She was actually _grateful_ to Maul. On her second day here, she had found the ship that had brought him here, and the supplies within, including a water purifier. She would have died in the first week if it hadn’t been for that.

It had taken her a week, but she managed to rewire the power in the shuttle so that the operating system had come online, and she could run a diagnostic. That was when she had received her first nasty shock. According to the date on the console, it had been three _years_ since she had first arrived on this planet with Ezra and Kanan.

When she had first seen that date, she had run every scan she could on the ship’s operating system. There was no possible way that date was correct. But it stubbornly remained there, no matter how hard she tried to correct the problem.

After her sixth diagnostic test, she had admitted defeat. She had sat back in the pilot’s chair and let out a long breath. Well, she had chosen the second path, and apparently, that hadn’t meant arriving in a different place, but a different _time_ . She had actually _time traveled_. She fought the hysterical giggle that threatened to escape her, and then shoved it all aside to dwell on later.

The diagnostics had also shown, that Maul might be the ultimate survivor, but he was a horrible pilot, and that was why he had been stuck here. He had blown every power conduit between the generator and the thrusters when he landed here. The hyperspace engine was fine, and undamaged, but since Ahsoka couldn’t leave the planet, much less the ground, it did her no good.

So, she had spent the rest of the days she had been here in her free time carefully pulling the ship apart, looking for parts she could cannibalize to fix the conduits. A task that took longer than it should because she had to spend so much time scavenging for food. And at least twice a day she had to meditate, and deeply, to reinforce her shields to keep the Dark Side of the Force at bay.

It was during one of those sessions that the reason that the Force had felt so off to her in the Void had occurred to her with blinding clarity. There, in that strange place, the Dark Side had contained all the feelings she had always associated with it. Anger, hate, and fear, but it hadn’t been _cold_ , not like the Dark Side was on this planet. It had contained warmth, passion, and untamed exuberance. It had been the Light Side that felt cold to her in that place, full of logic, dispassion, and discipline. It was not the sensations she was used to. It was only when they were synched with each other, in harmony with each other, did it even begin to feel close to what Ahsoka was used to feeling in her day to day life.

Is that what balance looked like in the Force? Not just between the Light Side and the Dark Side, but the Living and Cosmic force? Where the Jedi and the Sith looking at it the wrong way, dissecting it into little pieces they could understand?

She would have spent more time, trying to ponder that riddle, but just seeing to her survival took up so much time. She was reluctant to explore this place, with the Dark Side so in ascendancy here, it made using the Light Side a bit foggy, so she tended to stay near the Sith temple when looking for food.

Morai had disappeared several weeks ago, but Ahsoka wasn’t too terribly worried about that. The little bird had come and gone many times during Ahsoka’s life, and she couldn’t blame someone so affiliated with the Light Side of the Force for not being able to stay in a place where the Dark Side was so prevalent, and twisted.

She was out among the ruins of what looked to have once been a town, checking the traps she had set there, when her sensitive ears picked up the distinct sound of a ship in the distance. Ahsoka’s head came up, it was far out, maybe two clicks, but that was definitely a ship. Perhaps it was Ezra? Or someone from the Alliance?

Ahsoka let hope fill her heart, then ruthlessly squashed it. The Emperor was aware of where this planet was, and he had seen her in the Void. It could very well be an Imperial sent to retrieve her. She reached out into the Force, trying to get a sense of who was in there, if they meant to help or harm her. But all she could feel was the Dark Side, clouding everything, and the ship was still making its way in her direction.

She quickly whirled, looking for cover. She wasn’t that far from the temple, it was possible that was where the ship was heading, but even if that was the case, she still needed to find cover.

Luckily for her, there was a building nearby that would work just perfectly. It had been a manor of some sort, long ago. She assumed someone of high rank had lived here, given the elaborate decorations she could spot all along the outer walls.

It was four stories tall, made of a deep black stone that she couldn’t immediately identify. The doors were at least twenty feet tall, and part way blasted off their hinges. Which was lucky for her, because even with the Force, she doubted she would have been able to move them on her own.

She dashed into the structure. The best feature of this building, at least for her purposes, was that there was a bank of windows that covered the entire length of the second floor.  It would be possible for her to hide in the shadows of the building, and still be able to see almost anything that passed overhead.

Making her way up the stairs as fast as she as she could, she kept her ears open, tracking where the ship was. She made it to the second floor just in time to hear it fly over the house. With a burst of speed, she headed to the window closest to the door, and peered out.

She watched, half hidden in the shadows, as the ship went along its way, heading toward the temple. It wasn’t moving quickly, and she realized why when it abruptly turned around, and swung back to the manor.

They were sweeping for life signs. Or, knowing her luck, there was a trained Force User on that ship, and that was how they found her. The ship passed over the roof again, and Ahsoka’s head followed the noise. It was heading to the back of the house. She quickly dashed to the other side of the hall she was in, and watched in amazement through the windows on the back wall, as the ship landed in what had once been a courtyard. It was now just a pile of cracked tiles, and debris. On any other planet, the native wildlife would have pushed its way through those cracks, and every trace of the courtyard would be long gone. But life didn’t flourish on Malachor. It was here, the Dark Side couldn’t destroy everything, but it didn’t thrive.

Ahsoka didn’t recognize the ship, it was a beaten-up old thing, but that didn’t mean much. The Rebels used what they could steal, borrow, or repurpose. She did know that this was no ship that the Empire had built.

Scowling, she slipped back into the interior of the building, taking care to walk as softly as she could as she headed to the ground floor and the back door. Just because it wasn’t an Imperial ship, didn’t mean it was someone who was friendly to her. For all she knew it was Maul, come back to irritate her one last time before she killed him. Or perhaps it was a new batch of Inquisitors, sent here by Palpatine, to replace the ones that had been lost here three years ago.

Or, worse of all, Anakin, who had come to finish what he had started.

She came silently up to the back door, which was partially open. But it wasn’t nearly as large as the ones that were in the front of this building, which meant that in order to see anything, she would have to peek her head out. At best, she could be visible for a few seconds, before she would have to dodge behind the door again.  

Ahsoka came up to the door on the right side, staying in the shadows. She got to the edge of the door and crouched low, making her profile as small as she could, and rested her hands on her lightsabers. Peering around the edge of the door, she did a quick scan of the courtyard and pulled her head back. There was nobody there. She had spotted the ship, and closer it looked even worse. She shook her head, it didn’t matter, the thing had flown here, it could fly her away.

She dared to take another look, this time concentrating on the ship, and that was when she noticed that the ramp was down.

Ahsoka pulled back immediately, now worried. She sat there in the darkness, and tried to think very carefully about what to do next. Whoever had come here was somewhere she couldn’t see. Cursing herself for not listening for footsteps as she made her way to this door, she weighed her options.

She could wait here, to see if whoever piloted that ship came through this door, or the front one. She didn’t have a great view of the front door, but she would definitely hear anyone approaching her from that angle. If they were a foe, she would have the element of surprise. She risked another peep around the door, concentrating with all of her might. Even now, she couldn’t hear anyone around her. Whoever the pilot was, they were not nearby. Perhaps a quick survey of the ship might reveal its owner. If it was someone who was with the Rebels, she could wait in the cockpit. If it was someone else, and they were here to kill her, Ahsoka would leave them on this planet to rot.

She took in a deep breath, to settle her nerves, and then she made a mad dash out the door, keeping her ears open for the slightest movement or noise. She heard nothing, felt nothing, until she was about twenty feet away from the shuttle.

It wasn’t because of a warning in the Force. She hadn’t felt anything in the Force, certainly not that dark, overwhelming presence. No, what had caught her attention was the sound of his breathing apparatus. It had been faint, and then stopped, but she knew what she had heard. That whush whush was unmistakable. Anakin was trying his best to keep quiet, but he seemed to have forgotten that her hearing was better than a human’s.

Ahsoka stopped running. She gave one longing look at that plank, leading to the ship, and to freedom. It was so close, but as far as she was concerned, it might as well have been half a galaxy away. There was no way he would let her step foot on it. She straightened her shoulders out of the instinctive hunch she had put them in. She wasn’t going to be able to run away from this, as much as she wished to.

She waited, back to him, feeling horribly exposed. But she wasn’t going to play whatever game he wanted her to play. She still didn’t hear anything, no matter how hard she strained her ears. Was he using the Force to cloud her senses? Or had he turned his respirator off _?_ _Why?_

Irritated with him, and herself, she called out over her shoulder, “I don’t know why you are trying to hide. You never were the subtlest of people.”

There was silence for a moment, then she heard the resuming of that rhythmic breathing, and then the thud of a heavy footfall. He _had_ been trying to hide from her. Why? To see what she would do with an apparently unguarded ship? Let her get one foot on the gangplank, and pull her back with the Force, so he could dash her hopes right in front of her? Was this some game or tactic his new master had taught him? Ahsoka thought of Palpatine’s laughing voice chasing her as she ran, gleefully proclaiming she would be his at last. She would die first.  

It didn’t really matter why Anakin had left her this smallest hope before dashing it, did it? Only that he had. She couldn’t save him. She couldn’t even turn him from the path he was on in the slightest. The Force had shown her that. It was someone else, someone who held the slimmest of chances, someone who she hadn’t been allowed to see. She had to deal with Anakin as he was _now._

She turned around, hands falling so that they were near her blades, but not on them, not yet. She owed that much to who Anakin had been. Or more to the point, who he had taught her to be. Even for the sake of her own survival, she wouldn’t sell her soul, she wouldn’t let herself become consumed by fear, as he had done.

She tried to keep her impatience off her face as she watched Anakin come out from behind one of the pillars that lined the back of this monstrosity of architecture. The sight of that forbidding suit still took her by surprise. It was built on stark lines and sharp angles. There was no trace of laughter and softness in him, and those long, lean, elegant lines of him were gone. He looked like a walking version of a ground assault vehicle.

She wondered who had designed this monstrosity. She looked around at the architecture of the manor, and snorted. That answer should be obvious. Palpatine had done it, or had a hand in it. Why did the Sith have to be so forbidding in all of their designs?

Anakin slowly and deliberately moved toward her, taking forever to cross the fifty feet that separated them. Ahsoka wanted to scream at him, to tell him to get it over with, whatever this was. She was slightly surprised when he stopped about ten feet away from her. Ahsoka wasn’t fooled for a second. He might not be as fast as he had been before he had been put into this suit, but he was still fast enough. If he chose, he would be able to reach her quicker then she could blink if she tried anything.

But the distance he chose to stop at, _was_ far enough that she could draw and get her blades up in time to defend any attack he tried. Interesting, what game was he playing? Did he want her to feel comfortable, or was he leading her into a trap? The Anakin she remembered had no patience for such games, that had been Obi-Wan’s tactic. But that Anakin also never would have raised a lightsaber against her, and tried to kill her. Ahsoka fought hard against the hope rising in her chest. She needed to be cautious. It’s not like Ezra could save her again by pulling her through time itself.

“Ahsoka,” he said in that modulated deep voice, “I’ve been looking for you.”

Where in the galaxy did he think she had been over the last three years? Sunning herself on the beaches of Sochi? Never mind the fact that she had only arrived here three months ago, there was no way he could know that.

“Come to finish what you started?” she said, hands inching closer to her hilts, worried about his wary tone. No matter what she had felt in the Force, in that tantalizing vision she had seen of him in that flow of time, that Anakin wasn’t the one of _now_. That was only a possibility, and a slim one at that. And not a version of him that she had any hand in bringing about. And it was most certainly not the one who was standing in front of her now.

“No,” he said simply. “I have not.”

Her hands stopped their slow crawl to her saber hilts. He was telling the truth, as unbelievable as that might be, the Force sang with it. And how was she supposed to respond to that? Oh good? Then why are you here? Would you like to tell me what you have been up to over the last sixteen, no _nineteen_ , years? Who put you in that suit? Are you at all sorry you tried to _kill_ me? And what was she supposed to call him? Anakin? Master? _Skyguy_?

Ahsoka brought her wandering mind back to what it didn’t especially want to think about. The important thing to focus on was that he wasn’t here to harm her. Oh, the possibility was there, like a smell you could just almost place, but it wasn’t his _goal_. Ashoka didn’t need to escalate this. She didn’t know exactly what was going on here, but she knew she couldn’t fight him and win. So, she would see what he wanted.

She deliberately dropped her hands away from her lightsaber hilts, making the gesture as visible as possible as she crossed them over her chest. She studied him in the Force for a second. The air around him was cold, dark, and forbidding, but she felt the sense of…something. Something elusive, fragile, and so _small_ , but there. If she hadn’t seen what she had in the Void, she wouldn’t have noticed it now. Whatever it was, it wasn’t seeped in darkness like the rest of him.

She studied him as the silence went on. No, he wasn’t like that possible Anakin. The one who had felt so lost and alone as he talked to someone he desperately wanted to keep safe and push away. But this Anakin, that was standing in front of her, also wasn't like he had been before when they fought. He was still whirlwind of anger and determination, but underneath it all was the smallest hint of...hope? Was that what that small glimmer was?

He seemed as lost as her as to what to say next. There had been a time when she could read him like she could read the weather on Coruscant. A small twitch, a gesture, and she knew what he was thinking, feeling, or trying to hide. That as all gone now, hidden away from her behind that wretched mask and body armor. For one moment she wanted to rip it off his face so she could look him straight in the eyes. Anakin had never been a good liar, and right now she wanted some other confirmation of what her instincts were screaming at her. She had thought there was hope before, only to be horribly mistaken.  

He finally broke the silence. “I need you to do something for me,” he said, his words layered with just the slightest hesitation.

Ahsoka felt her mouth drop, “Excuse me?” she asked.

“I require your assistance,” he said, voice and posture firming up. This was all wrong, wrong, _wrong_. Anakin wasn’t formal. He was the very opposite of it in fact.

Ahsoka almost couldn’t breathe from the sheer audacity of his request. “You tried to kill me not that long ago, and now you are standing here asking for my _help_?”

He stiffened, and his hesitant mood vanished. “If you do this, I will take you off this planet,” he growled, “But if you refuse, I will kill you now. You are fortunate that I have deemed you adequate for the task I have need of you for. I am well aware of your role in all of this.”

“ _Adequate?_ ” she sputtered, insulted beyond belief “And role in _what?_ ”

“Do not play with me Ahsoka,” he warned, finger coming up to point at her. “I know of your relationship in starting the Rebel Alliance, and your loyalty to Bail Organa. I know what you did. Do not pretend you are innocent in all of this.”

Ahsoka took a step back, his sudden fury was expected from a Sith, but the underlying wail of betrayal underneath that anger alarmed her. “Of course I helped the Alliance,” she snarled, trying to cover her unease at this volatile shift in mood. “And if you ever understood a thing about me, you had to know that was what I was going to do the minute the Empire was founded.”

“Not that,” Vader waved a hand as if sedition against the Empire was the smallest of issues “You helped him hide _her_ from me.”

Ahsoka shook her head, not following “Hide who?” she asked, baffled.

“You and -” But the rest of his words were lost to Ahsoka, over the sudden pounding in her ears. All around Anakin, the pebbles and debris surrounding him, started rising. The movement lacked the elegance that a five-year-old youngling would have done it with. Pieces rose up at different speeds, some were frantically spinning in place, others were unnaturally still. Several of the smaller ones were pulverized into even smaller fragments, but at different times as that great power jumped from rock to rock.

Anakin didn’t realize he was doing this, Ahsoka realized, nothing he was doing was a conscious decision on his part. That thought terrified her more than the possibility that he was raising them as a threat against her. What was causing this stunning lack of control?

He took one step towards her, and that brought her attention back to the words practically spitting out of his mask. “You both helped Bail keep her from me.”

“Her _who_?” Ahsoka asked again, not understanding anything he was saying. Who exactly was she supposed to have hidden? “And who was supposedly helping me?”

His fists clenched at his side. “DO NOT LIE TO ME!!” he roared, and there were suddenly two funnels of wind on either side of him, whipping into a sudden frenzy as the scattered debris around them were caught up in them. Ahsoka watched both form beside him in horrified awe. Anakin’s cape was whipping so fiercely around him she was surprised he hadn’t strangled himself with it. He was completely out of control, and speaking _madness._

Ahsoka made the decision then and there to run to the ship. She would rather die doing that then being slaughtered here. She gathered the Force to her, as muddled and cloudy as it was, and waited for the perfect moment to move.

She was just about to take one step to pivot when his next words stopped her in her tracks. “I know Kenobi was on Tatooine for the last nineteen years, don’t deny it.”

Everything stopped at that name. That one name she hadn’t heard in more years then she could remember. Shocked, she felt the Force fall away from her as her concentration broke.

“Kenobi?” she whispered, there was no way she had heard that name correctly. This had to be a lie of some sort, or a cruel trick he was playing on her before killing her. “Do you mean Obi-Wan?”

“Of course, I meant Obi-Wan!!!” He barked, the wind roaring in time with his words. “How many other Kenobi’s do you and I know?”

Ahsoka swayed, and she bent over, bracing herself with her hands on her knees. She felt like her heart was going to pound out of her chest and her vision started to go dim around the edges. Vaguely she was aware that the roaring of the wind stopped, as she took in long deep breaths, trying to stay conscious.

“Ahsoka?” Anakin asked. She didn’t even bother to answer him, just fought to keep herself on her feet. Then in a firm barking command, he shouted, “Ahsoka! Take a deep breath in.”

Ahsoka shook her head. All she really wanted to do was curl up on the floor and cry in relief, or possibly howl in agony, she wasn’t sure. “Can’t,” she wheezed.

“Now Ahsoka!” and there was no give in his voice “You do me no good if you pass out!”

Even though his voice sounded nothing like what she once listened to without hesitation, the words themselves were the same he had often used to get her to come back to herself after a bad battle. Ahsoka had never known what to do with pity or offers of help, but practical advice was something she had always responded to. She found herself automatically responding to the authority there and took in several long breaths.

He said nothing as she used those breaths to focus on the feelings raging through her. She imagined them all as a film that smothered her thoughts, and carefully gathered them up and set them aside in her mind. Later, she would deal with all of this _later._

She took in one last steadying breath, and forced herself to stand up straight to face him. The tornados were gone, and the debris field still hung in the air. But all of it was still now, so Ahsoka took that as a sign that he was regaining control

Blinking back tears she fought to keep on her feet as the blood rushed back to her head, “Obi-Wan is still _alive_?” she asked, not even bothering to hide the shock in her voice. This had to be a trick. This had to be a trap of some sort. There was no way that this was true, he had said it to catch her off guard, and use that to kill her.

“ _But he didn’t,”_ her mind whispered to her, _“You were standing here, almost passing out from shock, and all he did was command you to breathe.”_

“Yes,” he confirmed quietly. “Kenobi is alive.”

Ahsoka let out a sob and quickly covered her mouth. Obi-Wan was alive. Obi-Wan, the man outside of Plo Koo and Anakin who had the most influence on who she _was,_ still walked in this world. Obi-Wan, with his calm manner, snarky quips, and big heart, was still alive. She hadn’t lost _everyone_.

And Anakin had just accused her of working with Obi-Wan to help _Bail._

That carefully contained set of emotions threatened to break out through the dark place in her mind where she had set them aside. Not yet, she couldn’t examine this yet. She needed to know if she even understood what Anakin was saying correctly. He was veering widely from informative to being as cryptic and vague as Master Yoda on one of his difficult days.

Reluctantly she forced herself to ask the question, terrified that the answer was the one she didn’t want to hear. “And Bail _knew that_?”

There was a long pause as he examined her. “Yes,” he said, “Bail knew.”

Ahsoka shut her eyes. She understood that Bail was in a unique position in the Alliance. That he was one of the few, if not the _only_ person, who was in full possession of all the Alliance’s facts and secrets. Ahsoka had been a soldier, and then an insurgent, for too long not to understand that the Alliance needed to compartmentalize information. She was adult enough to understand that she shouldn’t take it personally when she wasn’t informed of certain facts.

But those cold hard facts didn’t erase the bruise to her heart at the thought Bail hadn’t told her that someone she loved was still alive. That he let her mourn Obi-Wan unnecessarily all these long years.

Anakin’s voice was surprisingly gentle as he asked “You didn't know?”

“ _No!”_ Ahsoka cried out, pain, grief, and relief all there in her voice, “I had no idea,” she scrambled for some semblance of calm, of peace. “Bail didn’t tell me,” she whispered almost to herself. But he should _have._ Then she looked at Anakin, his earlier words about conspiring against him, with Bail and Obi-Wan, sank into her head. “Wait, you mean Bail knows who _you_ are?”

She was only dimly aware of the rocks finally lowering to the ground around them, too caught up in this flurry of truths that had been hidden from her. By a _friend._ Those were rare in her life now, never mind a friend who knew who she actually was. Not one of her aliases, or the false identities she had inhabited over the years, but her, Ahsoka Tano, former Jedi Padawan.

“Yes,” Anakin said, those strange eye visors locked on her and his voice cautious, as if afraid she might pass out at hearing this. “He knows, and has since the beginning.”

“And he didn’t _tell_ me!” Of all the foolish, arrogant, and stupid things Bail had ever done, this certainly topped the list. Ahsoka put her hands to her forehead, trying to keep out the nattering voice of the Dark Side whispering in her ears. She couldn’t afford to give in to her anger not here, not in this place. Later she would examine the fury in her heart and figure out a way past it. But by the Force, this was something she had _needed_ to know.

“You don’t know,” Anakin’s voice was quiet, and that whiplash of rage was just suddenly gone. More disturbing was the sympathy that had taken its place. Sympathy? From a Sith Lord? How bad was this betrayal? She wasn’t looking at this situation with any kind of even-handedness, she knew that. But when a _Sith Lord_ felt sorry for you, you had to question whether you really were overreacting to something. “He lied to you as well as me.”

“Lied to both of us about _what?_ ” Ahsoka demanded, dropping her hands from her face, tired of the dramatics and mysterious hints.

He straightened and even through the mask Ahsoka could feel his focus sharpen in on her. But that sense of betrayal was gone, as he realized that she didn’t know whatever he thought she had. In its place was that ephemeral feeling of….something. Just what was she missing here?

“I need you to rejoin the Rebel Alliance,” he informed her gravely.

Off all the things he could have asked for her to do, that was last on the list. “I’m sorry, what?” she asked, head hurting from all the whiplashing that had gone on in this conversation,

“I need you to rejoin the Rebel Alliance,” he repeated, like that would make _any_ of this make any more sense. There was a long pause, and he said in a soft almost reverent voice, “I need you to protect Leia Organa.”

Ahsoka blinked. She knew who Leia Organa was, of course. She had never interacted with the Princess, Bail was careful to keep Ahsoka as far away from the girl as he could, but that didn’t mean Ahsoka wasn’t aware of her existence.

“Bail’s daughter?” she asked, confused, both by the name and the soft reverence in Anakin’s voice when speaking of the Princess.

And that delicate mood shattered, and like a summer storm, his rage came back in an instant to cloud everything around him. The Force howled as it circled around him, and she could see that he had lost control of it entirely. For one horrifying moment, Ahsoka was sure he was going to strike out at her, either by intent or by accident. Then she could feel him throw the excess energy at something behind her, all without moving a limb. There was a loud crash behind her and Ahsoka immediately covered her ears, slightly deafened by the noise as a forty foot stone pillar came crashing to the ground.

“She is not Bail’s daughter!!!!” Anakin roared, and she could hear the words clearly, even over the ringing in her ears. In three quick strides, he was in front of her, his fists clenching and opening in time with the waves of fury and pain that were slapping into her shields in the Force. She dropped her hands, and they immediately went to her sabers, but he didn’t pull his own. He merely leaned over her so he could roar into her face “She is MY daughter!!!” and even through the modulation of the vocoder, Ahsoka could hear the possessive fury in those words.

Ahsoka’s hands fell away from her saber hilts as she felt shock course through her body. Every nerve along her skin was humming, both from the sudden adrenaline rush his words produced, and the untamed power whirling all around her.

“What?” she whispered. None of those words made any sense. The Dark Side had stripped him of all sanity, Anakin didn’t _have_ a daughter. She would have known. Someone would have told her, Bail or Breha. Hell, Anakin would have told her back then, and if Anakin had known he had a child, there was no way Obi-Wan was unaware. Obi-Wan would have told her at least.

“He kidnapped her!” he screamed, and all the background noises faded away as Ahsoka felt every sense she had narrow in on him. “But she is _my_ daughter! Not his!”

Ahsoka’s mind was screaming she needed to _run, run, run_ , but her feet refused to obey, remaining fixed to the ground. Frantically she tried to understand what he had just said. Leia was adopted, she knew that. A war orphan that Bail and Breha had taken in. But if what Anakin was saying was true….

No, No, this couldn’t be right. His daughter? Leia was Anakin’s daughter? Ahsoka thought back frantically to the few times that she had seen the girl. All she could remember was a short human, with dark hair that Ahsoka always saw from darkened corners, or walking away from her. Ahsoka was certain Leia didn’t even know who Ahsoka _was._

Ahsoka had never even seen Leia’s face. Not in person anyway. The few holos she had caught had been of a round face, with dark hair and eyes, and a reserved smile. A politician’s smile, but Ahsoka always thought it held more sincerity in it than most, like Padme’s.

No, not _like_ Padme’s public smile, it _was_ Padme’s public smile. How had Ahsoka never made that connection before? She knew Bail and Padme had been close allies in the Senate, and they had been friends. If there was anyone in the galaxy, besides Obi-Wan Kenobi, that Padme would trust her child with, it would be Bail Organa.

“Padme had a child?” she whispered, more to herself than to him. How could that be right? She thought of Mandalore, of the last time she had seen him. That was where she had been when Order 66 was issued, and according to all official reports, Padme had died not three days after _that._

Those horrible events took place, _at most_ , a week after she saw him. He had said nothing to her about Padme being pregnant on Mandalore. And he had to have known. If Leia was his child, _Padme’s child_ , then she had to have been born before Padme died. Human pregnancies took months, and although Ahsoka wasn’t exactly sure how long, she did know it was more than a week.

“Padme was _pregnant_?” She straightened up, and glared at him “Why didn’t either of you _tell_ me?” she wailed, putting her hands on his chest, and shoving him away. She needed room to breathe, and she was afraid if he remained that close to her she would break her hand on that mask of his when she punched him in the face. This planet had a way of eating at her control. Better to remove the temptation.  

It said something about the unexpectedness of the gesture that he allowed her to move him back. The only sense she got off him was that he was completely taken aback by her question. Ahsoka wanted to howl in grief. Had he become so lost that he didn’t understand _this_ anymore? About why she felt betrayed that her closest friends had not confided in her? Hadn’t trusted her? What did they think she was going to do, run off and tell the Council? After everything all three of them had been through, did they really think so little of her?

“I-” Anakin started to say. Then he broke off, and retreated into that stiff formality “It was none of your concern,” he said with mock dignity.

She wanted to shake him. “The hell it wasn’t,” she snarled.

“You left me!” And his words were wrapped in an overwhelming wave of pain and grief, but Ahsoka was too caught up in her own self-righteous sense of betrayal to let those feelings soften her words.

“I left the Order!” she hissed “Not you! Not her!” Her montrals were quivering she was shaking from so much anger. She took a step forward, pointing her finger at him in accusation “And you were there! You know why I left! Staying there would have torn me apart.” Like it did to you, but she wasn’t so lost in fury to voice that thought.

Ahsoka dropped her finger, “You were the one that taught me to stand up for myself.” She  tapped her chest for emphasis, “To _be_ myself. And I couldn’t do that in the Jedi.”

He took a wary step back “So it’s my fault?” he snarled, but it sounded weak.

“It’s no one’s fault!” she snapped back, frustrated by his inability to grasp this simple concept “It just _was_ . Why do you always need someone to _blame_? Can’t you accept that some things were not meant to be?”

“No,” he said flatly.

Stubborn, hard-headed, idealistic fool. Even _now_. “Of course not,” she scoffed “You loved being the hero, and you stayed because that is what the Jedi offered even though it was the last thing you needed.”

“And what did I _need_ Ahsoka?” His hands went to his hips.

“Your family,” she said tiredly. “You needed your family to anchor you, otherwise,” she gestured up and down “You would become unmoored.”

Ahsoka swallowed past the lump in her throat. It had taken her years to admit this next part. To admit that the way of life she had so loved, and even now still missed, had contained such an obvious, and ultimately fatal flaw “And the Jedi could _never_ give that to you.”

“Because I was unworthy?” he shot back, hurt and angry.

“No, Anakin-” she said softly.

“That is not my name!” he shouted at her, cutting her off. “I am Darth Vader, Lord of the Sith!”

Ahsoka’s back straightened. “I am not calling you that ridiculous name that Palpatine has saddled you with,” she insisted, voice firm “You have a lot of faults _Anakin,_ back then and especially now, but pretentiousness has never been one of them.” She scoffed “As if calling yourself by another name somehow erases who you _are._ ”

“Anakin Skywalker was weak,” he intoned darkly.

Ahsoka laughed bitterly. She had always thought her Master was the strongest out of all of them, and not only because of his strength in the Force. Well, he had certainly proven her wrong. Only the weak gave into the Dark Side.

“So you said before.” She gave him a fierce grin, “But the reason _Anakin Skywalker,”_ she made sure to put as much emphasis on that name as she could, _“_ could never get what he wanted from the Jedi was because they were as lost as you were,” She closed her eyes, “And because of that, they were incapable of giving you the purpose you sought.”

He was silent for a long moment. “I didn’t love being a hero,” he said. Ahsoka’s eyes flew open.

“Oh please,” she said, rolling her eyes,  “Lie to me all you want, but at the very least you should be honest with _yourself_.”

“I am,” he said and Ahsoka just barely managed to keep her snort of derision to herself. “I wanted to _help._ To make the galaxy a better place. I thought the Jedi were the best way to do that.” He looked away from her “I was a fool. They were weak and could never see what needed to be done.”

So close, he had been _so_ close to admitting that he knew he was on the wrong path. Why wouldn’t he _listen_ to her? But no, apparently, he was only willing to listen to that mysterious someone…no, not a mysterious someone. Leia, he had been talking to _Leia_. And because she was Anakin’s family, and Ahsoka was not, he had been willing to listen to her.

Ahsoka gnashed her teeth in frustration. “It doesn’t matter,” she said “It’s done. It’s been done for a long time.”

“Yes,” he agreed, then straightened his posture, looking back at her. “And I have not come here to revisit the past.”

Ahsoka rolled her shoulders, trying to ease the knots there, and swallowed her jealousy. “No, you did not,” she said, surprised at the bitterness in her voice. She should have more control than this. Why was it, when standing in this man’s presence, she felt like she was fourteen again? “You came here to ask me to protect your daughter.”

“Padme’s daughter as well,” he said.

“Don’t you dare,” she hissed, “Don’t you dare use her like that against me. I loved her too you know.” Ahsoka had never even been to Padme’s grave to pay her respects. It was too well monitored, and Ahsoka’s face had been on the Empire’s most wanted list for years, because she was a former Jedi. “You aren’t the only one who _misses_ her. She didn’t just belong to _you_.”

He took a step back, “She was my wife.” Even through the enforced slowness of his tone through the vocoder, Ahsoka could hear the defensiveness in his tone.

At that word, Ahsoka’s eyes widened, “You didn’t even tell me that,” she whispered, heartbroken by how much he had concealed from her. She had known he loved Padme. She had known they were together. Who in the temple hadn’t known, that was the better question. What Ahsoka hadn’t known was that they had defied every rule governing the Jedi Order and had gotten married.

“She was my wife,” he repeated, like it was some kind of defense for all of this.

“That didn’t mean you got to brand her and keep her hidden away,” Ahsoka snapped back, thinking of what little she knew of Anakin’s childhood on Tatooine, and her ire rose even more, “You of _all_ people should know that! She was her own person!” Ahsoka was shocked when a wave of guilt swamped over him prompted by her words. He retreated another step from her.

For a moment jubilation sang through her veins. At last, she had gotten him to _listen_ to her, and her words were hurting him as much as his were hurting her.

Then the momentary triumph faded away to be replaced by an aching hollowness. Ahsoka took in a deep breath, trying to corral her furious thoughts. This wasn’t her, this hadn’t been her for a very long time. She could no longer afford to give in to her sense of anger and righteousness. Especially not in this place.

But that didn’t mean she was going to let him think that hiding something like this from her was okay, “You should have told me,” she said, not even bothering to hide the grief in her voice. “I would have helped you.”

“I didn’t need your help,” he said.

Ahsoka looked him up and down, “Clearly,” she said dryly, “You’ve done so well for yourself.”

“Tread carefully Ahsoka,” he warned, finger coming up in warning.

She shook her head “No,” she said “I will say what I wish. You _need_ me,” She gave him a mocking smile. “Because right now I am the only person you know of who can easily integrate herself into the Rebel Alliance Command structure. And you need that. If you want someone to watch over Leia, and really be able to protect her, you need someone who is trusted. Especially given her high public profile in the Empire, before she went running off to join the Alliance.”

Which led to another question, why had Leia done that? Bail and Breha, for all that they were committed to the cause of removing Palpatine from power, were also very conscious of the price their people would pay if they openly defied the Emperor in any way. Both of them were too committed to Alderaan’s people to ever so openly put them in danger like that. And they must have taught Leia the same thing. What had happened in the galaxy to make openly running to the Rebellion worth it for her?

“Yes,” he admitted slowly “You are.”

Ahsoka looked at him “If I do this,” she said, “If I go back to the Rebellion, on your orders-”

He snorted “As if you ever followed my orders.”

Ahsoka blinked surprised by even that small glimpse of humor from him, bleak as it was, “Alright,” she allowed “At your request then, I will be as good as a traitor to them. You are asking me to betray my friends,” she said, “For the sake of a woman I have never even had two words with.”

“The only one there you ever considered a friend was Organa,” he said in a snippy tone, “and he betrayed you first by not telling you that I, and Kenobi, were still alive. Or about Leia.”

He would see it that way, Ahsoka though dimly, Anakin had never been one for nuance. Things were always very clear to him, and if they weren’t, he _made_ them clear.

“You know, you missed nineteen years of my life,” she mused, thinking of all the people who had been a part of her life that he knew nothing about. “There is a lot about me don’t know anymore.”

“I know you loved Padme,” he shot back, daring to use Ahsoka’s own words against her, “And if you won’t protect Leia for me, or even to save your own life, you will protect Leia for _her._ ”

Ahsoka looked sharply at him, ready to tear into him for trying to use Padme that way, _again._

“Leia is all that is left of her in this galaxy,” he said in a much softer voice, and Ahsoka was surprised to feel the real grief in his words. Like he had any right to that emotion in this matter.

“Oh,” Ahsoka asked snidely “And her celebrated martyrdom at the hands of the Jedi isn’t a grand enough legacy for you? For being the catalyst to show the Republic what the Jedi really were?”

Anakin flinched, he actually _flinched_ “That was not my doing,” he said, but there was the barest hint of untruth hanging in the air.

“No. Just your Master’s.” Ahsoka allowed her disgust to fill her voice.

“You test my patience Ahsoka,” he warned, finger coming up. “Heed your words.”

Ahsoka shook her head “No I will not. She would have hated it. All of it. The way Palpatine used her death to bolster his case for the Empire. The Empire itself. She would have been the first in line to rebel, and you _know_ it!”

“Yes,” he said, that fine sense of guilt wrapped around him. “She would have.”

“Then why would Palpatine heap such praise-“ Ahsoka stopped, ideas forming a clear picture in her head, “ _Because_ she would have hated it.” Ahsoka whispered to herself, “Palpatine set her up as a revered figurehead for the Empire just to spite her.” She looked at Vader, not understanding in the slightest what Palpatine’s possible motivations could be in doing this. “Why go so far to hurt a dead woman?”

“She beat him,” Vader said, “She is the only one who ever managed to outplay him, even if it was only in the short term.” He sounded reverent, but then he almost always had when discussing Padme. Even before Ahsoka met her the first time, she was aware of the high regard Anakin held for the Senator.

 _When_ had Padme supposedly beaten Palpatine? But Anakin went on before Ahsoka could ask. “And I wasn’t speaking of Amidala, Queen and Senator of Naboo, Ahsoka,” he said. “Leia is all that is left of _Padme_ , of the woman. And I need someone to protect her,” his hands flexed “She has inherited her mother's tendency to go into situations she has no business being in.”

Or did she inherit your luck at finding trouble? But Ahsoka didn’t have the heart, or maybe the courage, to ask him that out loud.

“I haven’t agreed to do anything,” Ahsoka reminded him, a bit miffed that he took for granted that she was just going to blithely go along with any of this.

“You will do it, or you will die,” he said.

Well, that was one hell of a motivator. But it wasn’t enough to sway her though. She had faced possible death at his hands before, it wasn’t something she feared. But if Leia was Padme’s child, what did she owe the memory of a friend? Padme had saved her, in more ways than Ahsoka understood after she left the Jedi Order. If Padme hadn’t stepped in, taught her how to live in the galaxy, not as a Jedi, but as a person,  would she had even survived more than a year on her own? Ahsoka wasn’t inclined to think so.

But that didn’t mean she was going to do everything that Anakin wanted her to. He might not understand this, but she did have other commitments, other promises that she had made to others. She needed to establish some ground rules, or he would run right over her and demand everything. “If I do this,” she started to say.

“You are in no position to bargain,” he warned.

“I am in a perfect position to bargain,” she countered. “Because I have something you want.”

He said nothing to that.

“If I do this,” she went on, “I am not your spy embedded in the Rebellion.”

“I have no need of such things,” he said, waving his hand like this was nothing, “That pathetic band of seditionists is not my concern. Leia is.”

Leia is a member of that pathetic band of seditionists, but Ahsoka wasn’t going to bring that up. She had gotten what she wanted out of him on this point, no need to anger him.

“I am also not there to spy on Leia.”

He looked at her “Even though every moment with her has been stolen from me?” he asked.

Ahsoka shook her head. If he was trying to make her feel sorry for him, he shouldn’t have tried to kill her. “That is not my concern,” she said, throwing his own words in his face.  “ _Leia_ is. And Leia has the right to expect the people close to her to respect her privacy.” She flashed him a grim smile, “You can have me as her protector, or I can be your spy on her. You cannot have it both ways.”

He mulled over that one for a good long moment. “Agreed,” he said. “Anything you learn in her confidence is nothing you have to share with me.”

Ahsoka nodded her head, “And my last condition is that I’m telling Leia everything.”

He stilled, “Define everything,” he said cautiously.

“About who sent me,” she clarified.

“You will not!” he roared, taking a step closer to her, but Ahsoka stood her ground.

“No, Anakin, she has to know.” It said something that he was so upset, he didn’t even react to his name.

He began pacing in front of her, “She will make you leave,” he warned her.

“You don’t know that,” Ahsoka pointed out.

He gave a dark bitter laugh, “Oh, but I do.”

“Had a lot of conversations with her then?”

“No,” and there was such regret in his voice. “I have not.”

Ahsoka crossed her hands over her chest. He was evading, but why? “What aren’t you telling me?” she asked.

He shifted on his feet, “There is a…” he hesitated, and that worried Ahsoka. Anakin never hesitated, not really, and she didn’t think this strange inverted version of him did either. “Complication.” he finished.

“She doesn't know you’re her father?” Ahsoka asked.

There was a bitter laugh from him, “Oh, she knows,” he said.

Well, that was the only complication Ahsoka could think of. Then again, this was Anakin. He had a gift for turning the most straightforward situation into a complicated mess. “Then what?” she demanded, her right fist coming down to rest on her hip.

“You will not believe me,” he said, arms folding over his chest defensively.

Ahsoka laughed out loud at that. Anakin dropped his hands, “You mock me,“ he growled, “When I could kill you so easily?”

Ahsoka shook her head, slightly miffed at his dismissal of her skills, but too amused by the ludicrousness of what he just said to get too offended. “No, it won’t be easy. You’d win, but it would cost you, and you only have yourself to blame.” She gave him a mocking smile, “I am, after all, _your_ student.”

He stilled, and lowered his finger, “Yes,” he said slowly, ”And you always learned fast.”

How ridiculous, to say nothing of foolish, that Ahsoka was pleased with that compliment?

“Then what Ahsoka, did I say that was so amusing to you?”

“You said I wouldn’t believe you,” She looked at him, tears of mirth in her eyes, “I was on Mortis too, remember? I don’t think things can get any stranger than _talking_ to physical manifestations of the Force, so please,” she held her hands out in a mocking bow “Try me.”

For a moment he looked at her, then she swore she heard a light chuff from him. Not loud enough to be caught by the equipment that was in that helmet, but her ears were better than a human’s for all that he seemed to keep forgetting that.

In his most challenging voice, he boldly stated, “She’s from the future.” His hands fell behind his back, and for just a moment she thought he was going to roll on the balls of his feet in his little triumph dance of “Ha! Beat that!”

Ahsoka stilled. He had been right, her first reaction was denial. What he had just said was impossible. Then she wanted to laugh at herself. Hadn’t she done the same thing? Bridged three years in a matter of _hours_? If this had been three months ago, she would have laughed in his face. But three months ago, was not now, and Ahsoka had made her own strange journey to be in this moment.

She looked at Anakin, who was clearly waiting for some sort of response from her. “How?” she asked.

He started, “You believe me?” he asked.

“Yes,” and she left it at that. Let him stew over that one.

He looked at her, looked away, then looked at her again. “Really?” he asked in a probing voice.

"Yes,” she answered, refusing to take his bait and elaborate.

He started pacing back and forth in front of her, arms clasped behind his back. Ahsoka said nothing, merely watched him. Anakin had always thought better when he could move, and that seemed not to have changed.

He stopped “This wouldn’t have anything to do with your mysterious vanishing act during our last fight? And then your miraculous reappearance into the galaxy?”

“Felt that did you?” Ahsoka asked.

“You cannot hide from me, Ahsoka,” he warned darkly.

“I rather think I can,” she shot back “You were surprised, when I reached out in the Force during the Siege of Lothal. You didn’t know I was alive.”

“I know now,” he said darkly, “And if you betray me again, I will kill you this time.”

Ahsoka didn’t doubt that, but that wasn’t what she needed to know about this situation. “Leia,” she pressed, “How did she get here from the future?”

“The Force,” he said, “The Force brought her here.”

Ahsoka barely refrained from rolling her eyes. The “No, really?” did escape her lips, but honestly, who could blame her? Did he think she was an idiot? Of course, it was the Force. Ahsoka doubted that Leia had invented a ship that was capable of time travel if only you got it up to a certain speed.

“There is ‘No, really’ Ahsoka,” he said firmly, and was that his “I am your Master and I am lecturing you” voice? “This has never been recorded in either the history of the Jedi, or the Sith.”

But Ezra had managed it. He had done it through the Lothal Temple, which was a temple that had been in use during the Order’s time. It was a temple that kept its secrets, everyone had known that. It was the reason that so many of the Jedi Masters had avoided it. They had said it was because some things weren’t meant to be explained. But having now been there herself, Ahsoka wondered if it was because they hadn’t like confronting the knowledge that what they understood about the Force was _minuscule._

So minuscule, that the fact that the Temple could be used to enter another world was entirely undetected by the Jedi.

That didn’t explain how Leia had done it though. Ahsoka had time traveled because that power she encountered _allowed_ it. If she had gone through the ring Ezra had, the Force would have had to do _something_ to maintain balance to the time stream. And Ahsoka had the feeling she wouldn’t have liked what it did. How had Leia deliberately circumvented that vast power?

“Well, clearly she figured out some way.” Ahsoka snapped back, “Or she wouldn’t be here now.”

“That is not your concern,” he said, and there was the note of finality in his tone. He really didn’t want her to ask any more questions about this. Was he worried Ahsoka would try to do the same thing? Go back in time and change everything? Or did he not want to admit he didn’t know either?

But she didn’t want to get into a pointless argument with him. He was right, this made things infinitely more complicated. “From how far in the future is she from?”

There was the longest pause, “Far enough,” he said.

Ahsoka gritted her teeth, “If I am going to agree to do this, I need to know what I am getting into. I need to know how old she is,” she said, “I need to know what I am dealing with.”

“I will not tell you her secrets,” he intoned darkly.

Ahsoka opened her mouth to tell him to stop being a stubborn gundark about this, when a thought crystallized in her head. Did Anakin even know any of Leia’s secrets? He hadn’t told Ahsoka how he learned _any_ of this. And if Leia was openly with the Rebellion, it was clear what side she had chosen. Honesty, with Bail and Breha as her parents, was there any other way it would have turned out?

And if Leia was siding with the Alliance, it meant she probably viewed Anakin as an _enemy_. If she was anything like either of her parents, it was highly likely Leia hadn’t told Anakin anything, she had evaded him with her wit, or sheer stubbornness. Or terrifyingly enough, both.

Ahsoka looked at him, “Alright,” she said slowly, aware that if Leia was hostile to him, that this was probably a sore spot for him, “Can I safely assume that she still looks nineteen? Otherwise, it would become _very_ obvious what happened.”

“Yes,” Anakin’s hands clenched and unclenched. “She still looks nineteen, and she is out there, alone.”

Ahsoka doubted that, Leia would hardly be _alone_. But she had the feeling that was not the _alone_ he meant. She remembered Anakin’s isolation in the temple. And that was with other Force users. How much more alone did Leia feel? Knowing she could see things, feel things, and perceive things others could not? Surround by people who couldn’t hear what she could. And that was overlooking the fact that she was suddenly in the past, probably facing people who were much younger than they had been. If they had even been alive in this future she was from.   

“Is Obi-Wan with her?” Ahsoka asked. It wasn’t even a question in her mind that Obi-Wan knew about Leia. Given how close he was to Padme, and Bail had been one of the few Senators he trusted, it was likely Obi-Wan _gave_ Leia to Bail.

“Obi-Wan is not to be trusted with this!” Anakin was yelling again. When had he become so volatile? When they had last fought, he had been much more controlled than this. Drowning in the Dark Side, and the chaos it produced, yes, but in control. “He turned on me the first moment he got the chance.”

Ahsoka shook her head. What the hell was he talking about? Obi-Wan would have rather died then betray Anakin. What lie had Palpatine told Anakin about Obi-Wan? Or, knowing the Emperor, what situation had he twisted, so it looked like Obi-Wan had betrayed Anakin?.

Anakin wasn’t done with Obi-Wan’s sins. “And he left Leia,” he spat, “unprotected and vulnerable on Alderaan while he cowered in the desert.”

Ahsoka put her hands up. She didn’t know why, but Obi-Wan was not a subject he was at all rational about. She wasn’t going to press him on it. Maybe Obi-Wan would be more reasonable about whatever had happened. “Alright,” she said. “Got it. Do not trust Obi-Wan to protect Leia.”

The Force around him stopped it’s ominous swirling, and he cocked his head “Are you placating me?” he demanded, and incredulity was dripping from every word.

“Yes,” Ahsoka said, “but only because I want to see what the situation is on the ground for myself.”

Strangely, that seemed to relax him. “You never did like trusting anyone else’s assessment,” he murmured. Gee, who had taught her that?

“Any other ridiculous warnings about Obi-Wan?” she asked.

He stiffened, and the hostility was back, along with a trace of fear. Fear of what? “Do not let him teach her,” he warned darkly.

“Afraid she might surpass you?” Ahsoka asked. Anakin’s possessiveness of Obi-Wan hadn’t exactly been a secret.

“You speak of things you do not understand,” he said darkly, “He will betray her.”

“But you trust me and my _adequate_ ,” and she sneered that word, “skills, to offer her guidance if she asks and protect her from your own _Empire_.”

“My Master is unaware of her existence,” Vader said in a rushed voice “And you must _keep_ it that way.”

Ahsoka blinked, “Really?” she asked.

“Ahsoka,” he pressed ignoring her question “All will be lost if he learns of Leia.”

Not Leia will be in danger, but all will be lost. She had the feeling he wasn’t just talking about the hope that even now lived in his heart.

“What are you planning?” she asked.

“Nothing that concerns you,” he said, “Your concern, your mission, is to protect _Leia_.”

Leia, who had been raised on Alderaan. Leia, who had been trained from childhood to rule. Anakin had always been in desperate search for purpose, and if he was telling the truth, about wanting to bring peace to the galaxy, then who better, in his mind, then his daughter?

“You’re moving against Palpatine,” Ahsoka whispered. Then she thought of that power and skill she had encountered in the world between worlds. “Are you mad?” she demanded, “Or just suicidal? You cannot _take_ him. Not by yourself.”

“Palpatine cannot know you are alive,” he warned her darkly, ignoring her assessment of the situation.

Ahsoka looked at him confused “But he already does,” she said.

He stilled at that, “That is…unfortunate.” He said. He sounded annoyed, and that did not bode well for her.

Ahsoka fought her nervousness, “It doesn’t matter. I’m still your only hope of getting anyone close to Leia.” She shrugged “And besides, I would have thought you would be grateful that he knows.

“Grateful?” Anakin sputtered.

“Yes, there is no way he can tie my reappearance into the galaxy with anything you have done.” She smirked, and tapped her saber hilts “It also means I can use all of my skills to protect Leia. I don’t have to hide what I am capable of.”

If it also meant that the galaxy saw that the Jedi were still alive, despite Palpatine’s campaign to eradicate them, so much the better. Not that she was a Jedi, but most people would only see a trained Force user wielding two lightsabers, and not know the difference. For the sake of sticking it to Palpatine, she would endure much worse.

Anakin nodded, conceding her point. Then he returned to the earlier disagreement, “Leia does not react…well to anything to do with me.” And Ahsoka winced at the lash of pain those words produced in the Force. “She must be protected, and if you tell her I sent you, she will expose you to the Rebellion.”

That earlier pain was replaced by jealousy so thick in the Force, Ahsoka felt like she was drowning in it, “She places her cause over almost everything else.”

And what did Leia place over the Rebellion? And how did Anakin know _any_ of this? Ahsoka decided not to ask. Odds were, Leia would be more reasonable about this.

“So,” he said, “you see why you cannot tell her I sent you.”

There was one very obvious flaw in his logic. “Going back to the Rebel’s, it will be a deviation from what she remembers happening last time,” Ahsoka pointed out.

“You don’t know that,” he huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

Yes, yes she did. Ahsoka’s voice cracked “You really would have come here to rescue me if you didn’t need me to protect her?”

Deafening silence was her only answer. “I thought not,” she said.

“She doesn’t react well to anything having to do with me,” he repeated.

Ahsoka’s instincts were humming, “Why?”

“She’s with the Rebellion. I’m Lord Vader, isn’t that enough?”

Ahsoka shook her head, “You are still a bad liar,” she said.

He dropped his hands from his chest and started pacing back and forth furiously. Ahsoka was content to wait until he figured out what he was going to say. He stopped, and looked at her, “It has to do with my alternate,” he said slowly.

“The Vader of her original timeline?” Ahsoka asked.

He nodded, “He didn’t know Leia was his daughter.”

“Okay,” Ahsoka said, “So?”

“She’s with the Rebellion,” he stressed.

“There are a lot of people with the Rebellion,” Ahsoka said, “but if you think they are the only people in the galaxy who hate you, you are more delusional then I thought.”

Anakin looked away, “He tortured her,” he said so quietly, Ahsoka could barely hear him. “ _Twice.”_

Oh. Ahsoka felt very cold all of a sudden. She had forgotten, stupid really, that it was Lord Vader in front of her, and he would do such things, when Anakin would not.

“I see,” she said.

“She will send you away,” he said. “You’ve been a spy and saboteur for nineteen years Ahsoka. I imagine you are very good at lying, make something up.”

Ahsoka shook her head, “It’s too big of a change. And there are too many unknown variables to consider.”

“Such as?”

“What if she already knows me?”

His head cocked, “I imagine that would work in your favor.”

“Not if she knows how I originally escaped off this planet.”

He looked at her, “You assume you would have made it off this world?” He took one step forward, “Who are you expecting to come and save you Ahsoka? Who are you collaborating with?”

By the Force, he was paranoid. She put her hands up, “No one,” she said, “But Maul’s ship is still here. He did a lot of damage to it, but it _is_ fixable.”

“Not for him apparently,” Vader muttered.

“So your saying I’m not as good as a mechanic as _Maul_?” There was insulting her abilities, and then there was being downright cruel.

He shook his head, “No, I am not saying that. I concede your point.”

She glared at him, “As I was saying, I was fixing his ship, but it would be at least six months before I could leave this world. It is possible that my alternate met Leia. She could possibly know me very well. Lying to someone who knows you is very different than lying to a stranger.”

“Lying is lying,” he said, “You are either good at it, or you are not.”

Ahsoka’s mouth dropped open. How was it possible he was still this naive about this? She shook her head, that was not the point here. “Either way, it’s too high of a chance. And even if she didn’t know me, if she finds out later you sent me, she will most certainly expose me then. Then I will have lost what little I have left, and she will still be there, _unprotected_.”

“You are not going to bend on this are you?” he asked resigned.

“No,” she said, “Because unlike my Master, when I take high-risk missions, I do all I can to _minimize_ what risks I can.”

He was silent for a very long time, “If you do not remain with the Rebellion, if she makes you leave, I will kill you Ahsoka,” he said, “I will not forgive any more harm coming to Leia.”

“Any more harm?” Ahsoka asked. “What happened?”

“She almost died,” he growled, and then he pointed a finger at Ahsoka, “And if I had known that my Master was aware that you were still alive, I could have managed to come here much sooner, and you would already be with the Rebellion, and it wouldn’t have happened.” He was screaming again by the end of his little diatribe. Ahsoka would have been more scared if it wasn’t for the fact that she could feel his fear eating away at him. Fear, not for himself, but for Leia.

Ahsoka scoffed, “That isn’t my fault. Go take it up with Palpatine about not telling you that I was alive.”

The fear dropped away, replaced with an icy determination, “I will not leave an enemy at my back. If you cannot serve to my purposes, I will destroy you.”

Ahsoka shivered, now that did sound like Palpatine, “I understand,” she said.

That weird intensity melted away, and then he became awkward.

“Was there something else?” Ahsoka asked.

“And I need you to protect someone else too.” He shuffled his feet, “Leia is the priority, but if at all possible, you need to keep them alive.”

Oh, of course. He threatened to kill her and in the next breath expanded what he wanted from her. Why was she not surprised?

“Who?” Ahsoka asked.

“I don’t know his name,” Anakin spat. “She didn’t tell me his name.” That rhythmic breathing went on for several long moments.

“Well, that eliminates all the female Rebels,” Ahsoka said, filling in the silence. “You have anything else to go on?”

“He’s Obi-Wan’s new apprentice.” The jealousy was clear and thick in Anakin’s voice. Ahsoka wisely didn’t comment on it. Obi-Wan had not only spent nineteen years in the desert, but he had also taken on a new apprentice? _Why?_ More important why would Anakin want Ahsoka to protect a Jedi?

“Who is he?” Ahsoka asked.

“Her tutor,” the words felt like they were being ripped out of him.

Ahsoka blinked, “Leia is a Jedi?” she asked, surprised, that was not the impression she had gotten from this conversation at all.

“No!” and again that rippling wave of anger, “No, she is not.” He sounded relieved by that. Again, _why_? “He merely taught her control. And what she called a few “tricks” There was both wonder and contempt in his voice.

“Just basic techniques?” Ahsoka pressed.

“She kept me out,” Anakin sounded almost pleased by that, and Ahsoka swallowed her surprise. Anakin was right, that wasn’t something someone who only knew a few basics could do, no matter how powerful. Anakin was fully capable of ripping most Force Sensitives minds apart by _accident_. He was an overpowering presence in the Force. “She is capable of manipulating her mental walls, for all that they are the simplest versions you can build.” He focused back in on Ahsoka, “And she nearly killed me.”

So, not a friendly relationship on Leia’s side then. “Why?” Ashoka asked. Not that there weren’t plenty of reasons, but that was the problem. There were many reasons why Leia would want Anakin dead. Ahsoka could think of ten right of the top of her head, and she didn’t even know the woman.

That well of anger came up again, but this time it wasn’t directed at anything external. Anakin was turning that cutting whip against _himself._ For one long crazy moment, Ahsoka wanted to go up to him, and give him a hug. Which would most definitely get her killed, so she changed the subject instead.

“Why do you want me to protect this tutor of hers if I can?” she asked.

It took a long time for that power to fade away. Even longer for him to respond, “He’s her husband, and he was murdered in her future.”

That was an interesting development. If Leia’s husband was a Jedi, and had openly married Leia, that meant he saw the rules on attachment very differently than the old Jedi Order had. And this was all things she would think on later. Ahsoka nodded, “If Leia agrees I can stay, then yes, I will do my best to protect her husband.” She shook her head, “Do you have any idea where I can start looking for the Alliance?”

“You don’t know where they are?” he asked, surprised.

She gave him a very long look “I’ve been out of the fight for three years,” she said, “I’m sure every contact I have has either been caught by the Empire or moved on.”

He looked at her seriously for a moment, then said softly, “Start on Lothal.”

“There is still a cell there?” she asked.

“No,” he said. “There is no rebel cell on Lothal.”

“Then why would I –“ she started to say, but he cut her off.

“Lothal is no longer part of the Empire.”

Ahsoka’s mouth dropped open, “Excuse me?” she said, “Do you mean the Empire destroyed it?”

“Officially, yes.”

That sounded evasive, “And unofficially?”

“It will soon be back under the Emperor’s control,” and there was no inflection in his voice, or in the Force. Like this was something he was saying because he had been told to say it, or else, no matter what he believed about the matter.

Ahsoka gave a long slow blink, “Are you telling me that Lothal is _free?_ ” she asked.

“For now,” he said.

And how had that happened? Yes, Lothal was on the outskirts of the galaxy, but it had been part of the Old Republic. And Palpatine just left it alone?

She looked at Anakin, but didn’t press further, she would find out for herself what happened.

“Anything else I need to know?” she asked snottily.

He straightened, “No,” he said. He gestured to the waiting ship, and Ahsoka walked towards the ramp, hoping that she hadn’t just betrayed everyone she loved.

 

The ship wasn’t much better on the inside. It had to be at least fifty years old, and it was small, meant for at most, two passengers. But Anakin went into the cockpit and locked himself in there, clearly indicating he wanted to be left alone. Ahsoka had no issues with that. She badly needed time to herself as well, rocked as she was by the revelations that had been thrown at her by their conversation. She wrinkled her nose at the smelly personal quarters and chose to sit in the cargo hold to meditate.

Normally being the passenger and not the pilot would make it harder for her to achieve any deep sort of meditation. But this was Anakin. Sith Lord or not, he had probably forgotten more about flying then she had ever known. His landings were another story, but she would worry about that when they got to their destination.

She was already in a light meditative state when she felt them break orbit from Malachor. All around her the Light Side of the Force came back into focus, easy to touch and feel. Ahsoka let out a long sigh of relief. It would be easier now, to examine everything she had just learned, when she didn’t have to be as on guard against her more negative emotions trapping her into a loop.

She listed everything in her mind that had been revealed to her. Anakin had rescued her. Anakin had a daughter. His daughter was Leia Organa, and she was a time traveler from an unknown amount of years from the future. Padme and Anakin had been married and hadn’t told her. Padme had been pregnant, and neither Anakin or Padme had told her that. Obi-Wan was still alive. She had just agreed to help Anakin protect Leia, an action that could be seen as a betrayal, no matter how pure her motives. Given the turmoil in her heart, she couldn’t even say that her motivations were even pure in this case.

And Bail had known almost everything. Ahsoka tried to temper the hurt in her heart, try to see it from Bail’s point of view. She didn’t have any children, or an apprentice, but she understood loyalty, she understood family. She had thought Bail had trusted her. But he had withheld information from her, that ignorance of, had placed her in the gravest of danger.

Ahsoka was aware that not all of his lies were as painful as others. To protect Leia, she could acknowledge how Bail would guard such knowledge with everything he had. She could forgive him that, eventually. Not yet, her emotions were too raw for that, Only time would sooth it. Ahsoka was too old, and had too few friends left to cut off the ones she did have, because they were too zealous in the protection of their loved ones. Bail’s decision not to tell Ahsoka hurt, but it hadn’t placed her in any _danger,_ not to know.

That was not the case with Anakin. There she had to deal with her bruised heart and the blatant disregard for her safety that Bail had shown. Ahsoka had a right to know what had happened to Anakin. And more to the point, it was inevitable that they would have collided. Vader _hunted_ Jedi, and everyone who was friendly to them. Because she hadn’t been aware of his identity, it had left her vulnerable. First, during the Siege of Lothal, where his presence had completely overwhelmed her, and she had passed out from the shock. And on Malachor, where the confirmation of who he was led her to make one of the most ill-thought out impulsive decisions in her life. If she had known, really known, and accepted who Vader was before she met him on Malachor, would she had voluntary stayed in that closing temple in a futile attempt to save him? Ahsoka didn’t know the answer to that question.  

But Anakin could be saved, only it was Leia who was the one who could move him to do it. She had been the one that Anakin had been talking to in that future vision. No one else made sense. Then who was the man Ahsoka had heard? The one who had said the Jedi were failures? The husband, who was training to _be_ a Jedi? And then there was his cryptic, “There is still good in him.” If he had been talking about Anakin, and that was a big if, why would he care if Anakin had good in him or not? Yes, by marrying Leia, this unknown padawan of Obi-Wan’s had changed the fundamental structure of the Jedi Order, but to try to redeem every Sith he came across? That was _madness._

And then there was the matter of Obi-Wan. What had he been doing on Tatooine? He had to have been doing _something_. She didn’t care how much had changed, Obi-Wan was not one to sit around and do nothing while people suffered, and there were so many more people suffering now during the Empire then had ever been in the Republic. So what greater purpose was he serving on Tatooine? And where had he found this apprentice of his? And why, after all this time, would he resurface now? What had changed? Was it something Leia had done?

She tapped down on her impatience. She would have answers to many of these questions, and soon. Perhaps not as soon as Anakin wished, but soon. Ahsoka wasn’t a fool, she wasn’t going to head straight back to Lothal. This wasn’t like the Rebel Base. He knew where Lothal was, but he had been forbidden, by the _Emperor_ no less by the sound of it, from going to Lothal himself for answers. Anakin was the master of following orders, and still doing what he wanted, but he had to be in a very precarious situation right now.

Ahsoka was sure Anakin didn’t want to draw any more attention to Leia, and the rebellion he had to be building in the Empire for her. But if Ahsoka went directly from Lothal, that would give Anakin the excuse he needed. All he had to tell Palpatine was that he was following Ahsoka Tano, and the Emperor wouldn’t even question why Anakin would go to Lothal. So Ahsoka would be taking the long way around.

She was so lost in her thoughts, that it took her by surprise when she felt the thump of the ship landing. Perhaps that was for the best. This way she got to skip the anxiety that came from wondering if this was the time Anakin crashed the ship. Towards the end of her apprenticeship with him, he had managed to get the number down to crashing only once for every twenty landings, but that was hardly how Ahsoka wanted to spend today.

The door to the cockpit swung open, and Anakin ducked his head slightly, as he came back into the cargo hold

“Put this on,” he said, as he threw a cloak to her.

She rubbed the fabric between her fingers. It was an unremarkable brown, made out of a very cheap fabric. But it did have a hood that would cover her montrals, and most of her face she noted. “Anything else I can do for you?” she asked snidely.

He regarded her for a moment, then asked seriously, “How do you influence people into doing what you want?”

Ahsoka’s mouth dropped open “Excuse me?” she asked, wondering how his mind had jumped to that question.

“How do you influence people into doing what you want?” he repeated.

She looked at him askance, “You ask them?” she ventured. Not that he bothered at all to do that with her. Threatened, bribed, and browbeaten, but never asked.

He huffed, “No Ahsoka, that is something I can never do.”

“Why?” Ahsoka pressed “Hurt your reputation, as the cold, unfeeling Sith Lord?”

“Partially,” he said, and there was no anger in his voice, just thoughtfulness “Also, because the way politics is played in the Empire, asking, instead of ordering, is a sign of weakness, and you will be attacked.”

Ahsoka cocked her head, “And why don’t you order this person to do what you want? Or threaten to kill them if they don’t?”

His hands clutched at his sides, “I can’t,” he muttered darkly, “I have already interfered too much in the political situation on Alderaan. If I was to directly involve myself in how Governor Shale is running it, my Master-“ he cut himself off, “I don’t know how to influence her to be as lenient as she can be,” he admitted with a heavy sigh.  

 _What_ political situation on Alderaan? And since when had Alderaan been ruled by a political governor instead of Breha and Bail? But Ahsoka knew better than to ask. If it involved Alderaan, that meant this was about Leia. Instead, she stood, and threw the cloak around her shoulders, pulling the hood up.

“Where are we?” she asked.

“Telos.”

They were still in the Outer Rim then. “Okay,” she said, and he turned, walking out of the hold, pushing a button so the ramp would descend.

He didn’t even wait for it to fully hit the ground, just started walking as soon as he had enough room to duck his head so that he could stride out. Ahsoka scrambled to follow him, while also trying to discreetly look around, and figure out what port they had landed on. Everywhere she looked, she saw people giving Anakin a lot of sideways glances, and there were several people who actually _bolted_ out of his way. And every one of those people was in an Imperial uniform or a stormtrooper.

Ahsoka lengthened her stride so that she was right next to Anakin. “Did you land me on an Imperial base?” she demanded as softly as she could. Sithing hell, what was he _thinking_? She was one of the most wanted fugitives in the Empire.

He didn’t even stop, “That is what the hood is for,” he remarked casually, “And you were marked as dead three years ago, so even if any of the cameras or security droids saw your face, you wouldn’t register to them as a hostile.”

“Oh, thanks for looking out for my welfare,” she muttered. There was an officer standing at attention at the end of the runway they were walking down. She wouldn’t have noticed him in the normal course of things. But he was accompanied by a very shiny, expensive looking, personnel and non-Imperial droid.  The droid was one of the models made to look slightly human, for all that her legs tapered into a ball, instead of feet. Articulate, and flexible fingers were tapping on her arm as she waited clearly for Anakin to reach her. This droid did not in any way belong on a military base.

“Who's the droid?” Ahsoka asked.

“The bane of my existence,” Anakin muttered.

Ahsoka looked at him in surprise. There was nothing but fond amusement as he uttered those words. Glimpses of humor and wasn’t that a surprise? She didn’t remember Dooku being funny, ever. Was this some of the changes Leia was already prompting in him? Or had his gallows humor survived his fall into the Dark Side?

Anakin marched right up to the mismatched pair, and addressed the officer, “Captain Piett,” he said.

Captain Piett’s eyes flickered to Ahsoka, but with the hood down, she doubted he could see much of anything of her face. “I see your mission was a success,” he said blandly, confirming that he knew Anakin had left to fetch someone. Ahsoka wondered if this officer was aware of who the person Anakin retrieved was. Or how rich the Emperor would make Piett if he turned on Anakin.

“Indeed,” Anakin said, all looseness gone from him. Ahsoka hadn’t even realized that he had _been_ relaxed in her presence.

“Do you have what I require?” Anakin asked Piett.

The droid was the one who answered “Of course,” she sniffed, “It wasn’t that hard to get,” She looked at Anakin, and then cleared her throat in a very pointed way.

“What?” Anakin demanded, and Piett didn’t even flinch at the harsh tone. The man must have a spine of durasteel.

“Aren’t you going to introduce us?” the droid said gesturing to Ahsoka. Ahsoka blinked, and briefly wondered if this droid was somehow related to Threepio.

“No,” Anakin growled.

“Manners, Lord Vader,” she tutted, “they will get you far in life.” And seemingly without any concern that she had just chided a Sith Lord, she rolled over to Ahsoka

“Hello,” she said, “My name is TooVee. I am Lord Vader’s personal attendant droid.”

An attendant droid? What did Anakin need with an attendant droid? Someone to repair his capes? Plan his dinner parties?

Anakin growled, “TooVee, this is…Pivot.” Ahsoka contained the wince. Well, looked like Anakin was feeling sassy with his cute inversion of her handle as Fulcrum. “Pivot, this is TooVee, and Captain Piett. If you ever have need of me, and I am not available, you can contact them.”

Ahsoka glared at him “I won’t need to contact you,” she said firmly, “I am not your spy.”

“No, you are not.” And there was something he was not sharing with her, but she wasn’t feeling brave enough to challenge him in public.

Captain Piett reached into his belt and pulled a small data chip out of it. “I believe this has all you need,” he said smoothly, holding it out to Ahsoka in his hand, “including the frequencies to contact myself, and TooVee.”

Ahsoka took the chip reluctantly. “What is on it?” she said.

“Your new identity,” TooVee chirped, “Along with twenty thousand credits, and the deed to that ship.”

Ahsoka looked behind her, and then looked at Anakin “You’re loading that clunker onto me?” she asked. Honestly, this thing was an insult to her capabilities as a pilot. No, she wasn’t as good as him, but who _was?_

There was a glimmer of amusement in the Force, “Such ingratitude. It does fly.”

“Like a brick,” she retorted. “What am I supposed to _do_ with it?”

He tsked, “Whatever you wish.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, “You are giving me that thing on purpose, just to drive me crazy.”

Piett was just staring at her, boggled. TooVee let out a long sigh “On one hand Lord Vader, I am appalled at your breach of manners.” Then her voice brightened considerably, “On the other hand, I have to commend you on your subtlety in antagonizing Pivot. It appears you are taking my lessons to heart.”

Lessons? In  _subtlety_? Ahsoka looked at Anakin. He had never once seen the need to be subtle, no matter how much Obi-Wan, the Jedi Council, even _Palpatine_ had tried to impress that on him.  

 _"But if you want to play in politics, it’s a skill you need,"_ the cold, bitter part of herself muttered petulantly. 

And, once again, everything was for Leia.

“There was no thought involved,” Anakin said, voice neutral “It was what was available.”

“You are still such a bad liar,” Ahsoka threw her hands up in the air, “Try another one. You would have never flown that thing voluntarily unless you could blow it up, or use it to strike back at me.”

“As you say,” Anakin was still talking in that monotone voice.

Ahsoka growled and put the data chip in her belt. “Anything else?” she asked

“If you fail in any way-“

Ahsoka waved her hand “Yes, yes, death and pain, I know.” She looked at him, squarely meeting those blank eye masks. This was beyond stupid, but Ahsoka needed him to acknowledge, even if it was in the smallest way, that he had chosen her for this mission not just because she was someone who could rejoin the Rebellion, but because she was _good_ at what she did. “In the twenty-two years you have known me, have you ever seen me fail at something I put my mind to?”

He was quiet for a moment, then he said softly, “No, I have not.” He hesitated for a moment, then swirled leaving her. TooVee followed him, but Piett stayed behind.

“Yes Captain?” she asked.

“You’ve known him for twenty-two years?” he asked.

“Yes, what of it?”

“Any and all records of Lord Vader only go back nineteen years,” he said quietly.

Ahsoka froze, she had been out of the spy game for too long. She hadn’t been paying attention to what she was saying.

“I say this with all seriousness Captain Piett,” she said gravely, “but if you value your life, don’t ever ask him about that.”

The man’s mouth gave a tight smile, “Oh, I am not a fool. Too idealistic perhaps, but not a fool.” His eyes slid away, and then came back to her, “But I am curious as to why he reached out to an old friend in the matter of Leia Organa.”

Ahsoka stiffened, “He never mentioned that name,” she said.

Piett shrugged, “He didn’t have to. Everything he has done over the last few months has been about her. Either directly or indirectly.”

“You are quite inquisitive for someone who is planning a coup against the Emperor,” she said as quietly as she could, aware of where she was standing.

The smile was wiped off his face. “He did not mention that to you.”

Now Ahsoka was the one who shrugged, “He didn’t have to. I _know_ him.” The Emperor was a threat to Leia, therefore he was something to be eliminated. Ahsoka leaned in far as she dared, so that he still could not see her face. “I am not the one to ask about his secrets Captain,” she said frostily, “You will get no answers for me.”

He looked disappointed, but not too surprised. “If you do ever have need, and don’t want to contact him, reach out to me. I’ll see that you get what you need without telling him.” He gave her a nod of his head, and then hurried after Anakin.

The man always did inspire the utmost devotion in his troops. Ahsoka wasn’t sure if she was horrified, or grateful that was still true.

She hurried to her ship, the sooner she was off this base, the better she would feel.

 

 

ABA - Day 130

 

 

Ahsoka’s first destination after leaving Telos was Tantive IV. It was the practical choice for a lot of reasons. First, it was fairly close to Telos and didn’t require a long hyperspace flight. Two, it was not at all friendly to the Empire. Three, it had a long association with Alderaan. If there was anywhere, she would get as close to the truth about the “political” situation on Alderaan in the Outer Rim, it was there. Four, she knew of several shops on the planet that would be very interested in buying this ship from her to strip it for parts. The fact that it would just piss Anakin off that she had ignored his not so subtle hints that she should rejoin the Rebellion as soon as possible was just a bonus.

When she landed, she was grateful to see that the family that owned the shop she had used most in the past was still there. They weren’t officially part of her network, they had no real affiliation with the Alliance. But what they were interested in was doing business, and they weren’t all that particular about who showed up at their door. Ahsoka imagined there were a lot of stolen vehicles that disappeared in their warehouses, but she had lived too long on the edges of society to judge anyone for choosing to survive using a little larceny.

It also meant they knew how to deal with the probably myriad of tracking devices that Anakin had placed on this ship he had gifted her with. He had to know she would dump it as soon as she could, and she wondered about his choice of vehicle again. Yes, it had been a little insulting that he had given her this most basic of models, but he had to know that she would get rid of it as soon as she could. Why waste a perfectly good ship for that? Lessons in subtly, TooVee had said she had been giving lessons in subtly. Maybe he was learning how to strategize outside of battle? Or, more horrifyingly, decided to take a page out of Palpatine’s book, and see everything as a battle.

Ahsoka let that scary thought go, she didn’t have time to think about what Anakin was or was not planning. She was grateful when all she got was a nod from the father of the family when she mentioned there might be trackers on the ship, He knew how to deal with that, and although it knocked the price down for what he was willing to pay for it, he didn’t refuse outright to take it.

That task done, Ahsoka went looking for the first holonet access point she could find. Time to see what information was on the data chip Piett had given her.

The closest secured one was in a bar. Tantive wasn’t friendly to the Empire, and had paid the price for that. It wasn’t even open defiance, just a subtle unwelcoming, and the Empire still felt the need to squeeze it. Because of all the embargos on the planet, their main source of income had shifted from farming to smuggling. Which meant that there were a lot of bars on this planet with secured access to the holonet so that business could be done over drinks.

There was nothing too remarkable about the alias Piett had created for her. Her name was Leyalan Shobin, single, no living family. Leyalan was a pilot in good standing with all appropriate guilds, and was up to date with all her dues. She read the note at the end of the summarization of Leyalan’s bio information and snorted. TooVee had apparently felt the need to tell her that there was a separate account set up in her name, one that Ahsoka was not to have access too. It existed to continue to pay all fees and dues to those associations automatically for her for the next five years. That money did not include the twenty thousand credits, that had been set up in a separate account.

Ahsoka appreciated the thought that went into crafting this persona. It also gave her the perfect excuse to be constantly on the move. She just needed to make sure that whatever ship she was currently on had some cargo. Getting actual missions to take cargo wasn’t an option. Anakin no doubt was monitoring any guild contracts signed by Leyalan, and she wasn’t going to make it easy for him to track her.

It wasn’t much work for her to transfer the credits out of the account that had been set up for her, and into a dummy one. Ahsoka was pleased to see that the Empire might be aware that she was Fulcrum, but that they hadn’t found most of the accounts that she maintained. She set up the transfer program that R2 had created for her so long ago on the dummy account. In about a day, the money would have been moved around, transferred, and funneled through shell corporations, false accounts, and various legitimate organizations, that it would take the Empire years to figure out where the money had gone. And that was assuming Anakin wanted to pull the talented slicers into this work, and possibly alert people he didn’t want alerted that he was tracking her.

Her work finished, for now, she went to the bar and ordered a drink. That was when she learned of the first gleanings of how drastically the galaxy had changed in her absence.

The bar had a constant holo feed above the bar. She almost snorted her drink through her nose when she read that Governor Shale had imposed new restrictions on the movements of the citizen’s of Alderaan. There was no reaction to that from the patrons in the bar, so either they were too drunk to notice, or this was not unexpected news. She paid for a personal holo reader, and sat in a darkened corner to read all the news she had missed.

 

Later that night, she wandered into a boarding inn, run by a particularly ill-tempered Dug. She did use the Leyalan Shobin identification to check in, but since the Dug barely glanced at her ID, she was pretty sure he wasn’t taking the appropriate steps to register her with Tantive’s authorities. She needed to think, she needed to rest, and she couldn’t buy a new ship with the credits that she had gotten from the sale of the ship Anakin had given her.  She had to wait for the money that he had given her to become clean. As an extra security step, during that time, R2 had warned her that she wouldn’t be able to access the money she already had. If it was a true emergency, she could, but she should consider the accounts compromised once she had done so.

Ahsoka wasn’t in any particular hurry. Anakin was intent on protecting Leia, and coming here to scoop Ahsoak up now, would make no sense, not after all the effort he had gone to hide her. She could wait, and think about what she had just learned.

Tarkin was dead. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. He had been the main prosecutor against her in her trial, which had lead to her leaving the Jedi Order. and she certainly had heard nothing good in the atrocities he had had a hand in since the foundation of the Empire. But to die in such a quick manner was a far kinder death then he deserved. What his victims actually needed was he be put on trial, and all his crimes brought to light. Then, and only then, would any of them have any hope of finding closure. That was all lost to them now. Ahsoka supposed there was some comfort in the fact that he could never harm another living soul again.

Then there was the matter of this Death Star. And really? A _planet_ killer? Palpatine’s ambitions were certainly greater then she had thought. He really was trying to recreate a Sith Empire, wasn’t he? Maybe the question should be why she should be surprised at all of this news. After all, the Sith Temple was the reason Maul, the Inquisitors, and Anakin had even gone to Malachor. They had all been looking for a weapon capable of mass destruction. Perhaps not a planet killer, but if the old tales of the Sith, were to be believed it was at least capable of wiping out continents.

And that was why the royal family was no longer in charge of Alderaan. Breha, Bail, and Leia had all fled the planet. Although the details were fuzzy on _why_ they had left before Tarkin had come, Ahsoka had a pretty good guess. Leia had come and gotten her parents off the planet. And the only reason she could see why Leia would do that was because that was when this older Leia had entered the time stream, and she was well aware of the danger that Anakin posed to them.

It also explained why the Empire let Lothal go. She had been startled to learn that the planet had been listed as destroyed only three months ago. Palpatine must have decided that with his super weapon almost complete there was no need to send the Imperial Navy to recapture the planet. With the Lothal Temple beyond his reach, that planet no longer had anything of value to him. All he had to do was wait and use it as an example to the galaxy of what would happen to your world if you defied the Empire.

Only Tarkin had blown that plan out of the water. He had instead target Alderaan, giving out a galaxy-wide announcement that he had taken the planet hostage in order to force the Alliance to surrender. The news she read had all been very clear that was not the case. That the broadcast everyone had heard was not true. That Governor Tarkin was an honorable man, and that the Alliance had clearly faked his voice, and then murdered him while he was in orbit above Alderaan in an act of terrorism.

Ahsoka wondered how many of the galaxies citizens actually believed that. Oh, there were plenty of people, who for their own reasons would parrot that line, but she had to wonder how many people believed that there was no Death Star.

She believed. Tarkin claimed he could destroy worlds and she knew from bitter experience that he wasn’t in the habit of saying threats he couldn’t back up.

She also believed because she could see the evidence in every news report she read. It was never outright stated, but Ahsoka had long practice of reading between the lines of official holonet news. There were multiple “riots” reported every day, on many worlds, including in the Core. She could see it in the fact that responses to the riots in the Outer Rim where slower to respond then they had been in the past. The Empire had sunk a lot of resources into this weapon of theirs, not to mention the number of men it would take to run and operate it. All of that gone in a blink of an instant. The Empire, for the first time, was stretched thin.

And then there was the Alliance. They had been blamed for a lot of the riots in the Outer Rim, which might or might not be true. But the reports that they were behind the attack on a military base on Scarif rang true to Ahsoka. It took a coordinated effort to attack a military base of that size, both troops, and aerial support, for all that it was apparently only a record depot. The Alliance had been there, although she couldn’t fathom why.

And they had destroyed the Death Star. The Empire might claim it was only Tarkin’s personal ship that had been destroyed, but Ahsoka knew better.

She didn’t have the slicing skills herself to hack into the holo net’s and find the real information she wanted. But she could access the Empire’s most wanted list. That was available to all good citizens, so they could know the faces of the Empire’s enemies. Leia was at the top of that list, with a bounty of twenty-five million. Ahsoka shook her head, that was the exact opposite of subtle.

Mon was next, and then there was a name there that Ahsoka didn’t recognize. Poe Dameron. She had curiously tapped the name and learned that he was the Rebel pilot believed to have shot down Tarkin’s ship. Officially that was the reason of course. Unofficially it probably meant he was the one who fired the shot that destroyed the Death Star. It was a false name, and there was only the blurriest of holos accompanying that name, but Ahsoka wondered if this was Obi-Wan’s new apprentice.

Obi-Wan was also on that list, but it was a holo taken of him during the Clone Wars. She needed more information, before she went to Lothal, and the only way to do that was traveling about and keeping her ears to the ground.

She had spent the next weeks tracking down her old network of allies and spies that had been in the Outer Rim. Ahsoka stayed out of the Hutt controlled portion of the Outer Rim, she had never managed to make much headway with those groups, and she didn’t think they would be of any help to her now. Sadly, the prediction she had given Anakin proved to be correct, most of her old network was gone. Most of the places she went to her contact had moved on, and in a few sad cases, had been boarded up by the Empire, declaring that the occupants had been found guilty of seditious acts.

But on every planet, she set foot on there was a feeling in the air. It wasn’t like before, where there were flashes of anger, buried under a weary kind of acceptance. There was murmuring and whispered conversations as she heard people talking about what the Rebels had done. That the Emperor’s will had been defied. There was a feeling of hope, no matter how dire the situation was on their own planet.

She had been checking in on the last contact on Mirial when a voice from her past hit her ears.

“And even in these dark times, hope has not been lost,” Obi-Wan’s voice called out into the bar. Ahsoka put her drink down slowly on her table. Obi-Wan was not here, not on this world, she would have been able to sense him, but she hadn’t lost her sanity yet, that was his voice. She turned her head to find the source.

Two tables away, there were three drunk Mirialians watching a holo of Obi-Wan. At first, Ahsoka thought that it was one of the propaganda pieces that he did during the Clone Wars. But she stood the get a closer look, she could see she was mistaken. This Obi-Wan was much older than the one that lived in her memories. He still had his beard and his hair, but it was completely grey now, she could see that even though the poor quality of the holo.

She watched, fascinated, as he went on, that smooth voice bringing back so many memories, that tears formed in her eyes. She would have been content to listen to that voice forever, but a loud shout from one of the other patrons interrupted her reverie.

“Put that thing away Kidlan! Or do you want every trooper on the planet to show up in this bar,”

Kidlan came out a loud belch and then shouted back, “Aww, it’s all bantha shit. Everyone knows Kenobi died with the rest of the Jedi! The Rebels found some look alike.” But he did turn off the holo.

One of his companions snorted into his drink, “Fake or no, he’s worth twenty million credits.”

Ahsoka started, and then her resolved firmed up. Enough, she knew all she was going to by drifting about the Outer Rim. It was time to start the next phase of her life. Who knew if it would damn her or save her?

 

Lothal looked very different then it had four years ago from space. Everywhere she looked, she could see the ravages of the Empire. Where there had once been rolling yellow and brown waves below to show the grasslands Lothal was known for, all she saw was a blackened scorch of earth. The sky had gone from a pure blue color to being covered in a heavy grey film.  

She reached out in the Force and found hope where her eyes would have given into despair. Yes, much of the land had been ravaged, but even from this high in orbit Ahsoka could feel the beginnings of new life on that barren looking ground. Lothal had been bruised, but it had not been destroyed.

Her console crackled to life, and a voice came over her comms. Ahsoka blinked as she was brought her out of the light trance she had slipped into.

“Unidentified shuttle, this is Lothal Station One, please state your identity and purpose.” No holo, she noticed, and she doubted the would accept such a transmission from her. It was a prudent safety precaution, so much malicious slicing code could be buried in holo’s, but it did make identifying herself a bit tricky without a visual back up.

She leaned forward and flipped the transmitter on, “Lothal Station One, this is Fulcrum,” she said, “I need to speak with Commander Syndulla.”

There was a long pause at that, and then a bitter laugh came out of her speakers. “Unidentified shuttle, if you are trying to infiltrate us, you are going to need better intel next time. It’s _General_ Syndulla. You also had the misfortune to have me on shift tonight, monitoring the comms, because I knew who Fulcrum was, and they are dead.”

Ahsoka blinked, surprised. Not about the dead part, that was to be expected. “Hera was promoted?” she asked the comm. Ezra hadn’t mentioned that at all.  “When did that happen?”

“That is what you take issue with?” the man’s voice was scathingly sarcastic, and Ahsoka frowned. She knew this voice. She had never spoken to him, but she _knew_ this voice. “But nothing on Fulcrum?”

“Well, I did disappear for three years,” Ahsoka said calmly, “It stands to reason people think I’m dead.”

There was another long pause. “The last Fulcrum died on Scarif,” that voice said slowly, “I know for a fact that no one new has been given that handle.”

“I was on Malachor,” Ahsoka said, puzzled, “Not Scarif.” The Rebellion had given her handle away? Why?

There was a sudden achingly familiar voice on the comm bellowing, “Kallus MOVE!” Kallus? Agent Alexsandr Kallus? The voice matched what she remembered of what he sounded like, but what in the name of the Force was Kallus doing on Lothal?

There was the sound of someone being shoved away from the comm, and then a rushed “AHSOKA?!?”

“Zeb?” Ahsoka asked. “Zeb is that you?”

There was a long, joyous laugh from him, “Karabast!” Zeb swore, delight in his voice, “We thought you were dead!”

Ahsoka felt tears well up in her at the familiar voice “It was pretty close a couple of times,” she admitted. Ezra really needed lessons on how to give better reports. She would have thought he would have mentioned to the crew of the Ghost that she had survived Malachor at least, if not escaping the Void. And there was the matter of Hera’s promotion, and apparently, Kallus had _defected_. She swallowed the nervous laughter “Permission to land?” she asked.

“Permission granted,” Zeb stated.

“Zeb I don’t think-“ that first voice said.

“Oh, stuff it, Kallus,” Zeb snarled, “Ahsoka would never betray us.”

She was expecting the guilt, but she hadn’t expected that it would cut this _deeply_. She took in a deep breath. She wasn’t betraying them, she wasn’t. She wasn’t going to be a hundred percent honest about what she was doing, but she wasn’t betraying them.

“Land in the Capitol City,” Zeb instructed her, “I’ll make sure the shield is down, and I’ll activate the beacon.”

“You don’t get a lot of visitors?” Ahsoka asked, taking the controls, and heading the ship to Lothal’s capital city.

“Not unexpected ones,” Zeb said. “But I’ll explain it all when you land.”

 

As she flew over the landscape, her eyes confirmed what her feelings in the Force told her. There were green patches dotting even the barest of landscapes, and as she approached the capital, she saw that barren land give way to farm after farm. She landed in what had formerly been the Imperial Dome, following the homing beacon. Standing up she made her way to the back of the shuttle and lowered the ramp.

When it got halfway to the ground a very familiar face was revealed to her.

Ahsoka let out a sharp gasp and didn’t even wait for the ramp to complete its journey. She ran to Rex and threw her arms around him, hugging him as tight as she could. He caught her with an oomph, and then returned the embrace.

“Commander,” he whispered into her ears.

She could only let out a sob. She had been expecting to see old friends, but not _this_ old friend.

They stayed like that for an eternity, and simultaneously for not long enough before Rex pulled back.

“Ahsoka,” he whispered, and his hands came up to cup her cheeks. He gave her a watery grin. “So how have you been?” he asked.

She gave a light laugh “Oh, you know. Same old same old.”

“Defying death by the seat of your pants?” he teased.

Ahsoka snorted, “Like you’re one to talk.”

There were still tears in his eyes, but he gave an innocent smile, “I don’t know what you are talking about.” Then his face sobered, “How?” he asked.

Ahsoka frowned, “Ezra didn’t tell you?” She stiffened, “He did make it back didn’t he? Through the temple?”

“He made it back,” Rex said. His arms fell, and he looked at her sorrowfully.

Ahsoka’s breath caught “Is he dead?” she whispered, thinking of Ezra speaking about paths he hadn’t wanted to take.

Rex shook his head, “No. At least we don’t think so.”

“You don’t think so?” She placed a hand on Rex’s shoulders. “Rex, where is Ezra?”

“We don’t know,” he told her.

“You don’t know?” she asked shocked “How can you _not_ know?”

“It’s a long story,” he said, looking tired. His hand came up and grab her hand that was still lying on his shoulder. He gave it one hard squeeze. He looked at her very seriously for a moment, and then asked in a solemn voice, “How did you survive Vader?”

Ahsoka fought to keep from tensing up at that name coming from Rex’s lips. He didn’t know, she realized dumbly, he didn’t know that Vader was Anakin. She should have remembered that. She had been ready to tell all of them about how Ezra rescued her, but this question had badly thrown her off. “That is also a long story,” Ahsoka said shakily, hoping he would attribute the tremors in her voice to fear.

Rex’s eyes darkened, and she could see him come to some conclusion. He declined to share it with her. Merely frowned, and then wiped everything away from his face. He gave her a kind smile, “Well then, as General Kenobi said, such things are better told over food and drink.” He turned slightly away, “C’mon, everyone else is dying to say hello, and we can all talk about what we know.”

Ahsoka’s breath caught at that name, and the voice of the drunk Mirialian, calling Obi-Wan a fake, rang in her ears. If anyone would know the truth, it would be Rex.

“Rex?” she asked to his retreating back.

“Yeah?” he said, turning slightly to face her.

She felt her fingers tapping on her arms. “I saw the messages the Alliance is distributing. In one of them-“ her voice suddenly cracked, and she took a second to clear it. “In one of them-“ she still found it so hard to say the words, there was so much hope and fear in her heart. “I saw Obi-Wan,” she whispered, looking at Rex, “Is he…” and she couldn’t even finish the question.

Rex nodded, “It’s him, Ahsoka.”

“Are you sure?” she whispered.

He gave her his wicked smile, “Sure enough that I flew directly to the Rebel Base on Yavin, to yell at him for faking his death. _Again._ ”

Ahsoka sagged a bit, “Thank the Force,” she whispered.

Rex came back over to her and swept her up in a hard hug. She clung to him, and he said nothing about the sobs that escaped from her.

After she collected herself, she pulled back. Rex grabbed one of her hands in his, tugging her to follow him. “Food Ahsoka,” he said, looking her up and down, “I may not know where you’ve been over the last three years, but you definitely haven’t been eating well.”

Ahsoka laughed and followed him gladly as he led them into the former Imperial complex.  

 

Their destination was a former conference room. She walked into the room and gasped as she saw the entire Ghost Crew there. Hera, Sabine, Zeb, even Chopper. The crank droid gave out a triumphant, “don da don,” as she entered the room like he himself was personally responsible for her survival.

Then they all swarmed her. Ahsoka was hugged by _everyone,_ kissed on the check by Hera, and given a playful punch in the arm by Zeb and Sabine.

When they pulled back, she was surprised to see two other people standing in the room. Wolffe looked the same as he ever had.

“Commander,” the clone said respectfully, with a nod of his head.

“Wolffe,” she said, “It’s good to see you.”

Then her gaze fell on Kallus, who was looking like he wanted to be anywhere but where he was. He was holding something in his arms, which looked like a bundle of blankets.

“Agent Kallus?” she asked.

He shifted uncomfortably, “Just Kallus, ma’am,” he said.

“You are not who I expected to see on Lothal,” she remarked, and then focused on the bundle in his arms as it moved, and Ahsoka picked up the faint sound of a heartbeat, “With a baby no less,” she observed.

His fair skin turned a deep red color, “No,” he stammered, “He’s not. I mean,”

Hera interrupted him, “What he’s trying to say is the baby is mine.”

“Excuse me?” Ahsoka asked, as Hera deftly pulled the child from Kallus’ grip.

“Ahsoka,” Hera said proudly, “I would like you to meet the newest member of the Ghost crew.” She pulled back the blanket to reveal a sleeping infant, “This is Jacen,” Hera said.

Ahsoka blinked, and then looked at the baby. He looked human, there were no hints of lekku on that small head. In fact, it was covered with soft downy hair, that was the same color as Hera’s skin. Not a pure Twi’lek then. And given that Kanan had died a little over a year ago, that meant…

“Oh,” Ahsoka breathed, and reached out one finger to caress that smooth cheek. “Oh, he’s _perfect_ ,” she cooed.

“Would you like to hold him?” Hera asked.

“Yes,” Ahsoka looked up as Hera shifted the baby into her arms. Jacen shifted a bit, then sleepily opened his eyes. He pondered Ahsoka for a moment, staring at her puzzled.

Ahsoka could only look at awe at this little one. Jacen might have his mother’s coloring, but all Ahsoka could see was Kanan in that face.

“He looks like his father,” she whispered.

Beside her Hera stiffened, “Kanan’s dead,” she said flatly.

Ahsoka closed her eyes, grief hitting her anew. Here was another son who would grow up without his father because of the Empire. “I know, Ezra told me.”

Sabine’s voice was sharp, “You’ve seen him?”

Ahsoka opened her eyes and met that hopeful gaze. She had nothing to offer the other woman. “Yes, I did, when we were both in the world between worlds. The one he entered in through the temple.”

The hope died, and Sabine’s head fell to her chest.

In her arms, Jacen started shifting unhappily. Instinctively Ahsoka reached out in the Force, and wasn’t surprised at the flickering warmth she felt there. “Oh, little one,” she cooed into his suddenly delighted face, “It’s alright.”

“He likes you,” Hera said, watching the two of them.

“Why not?” Zeb said, “Ahsoka is very likable.”

Jacen sneezed, and then his face went funny. Ahsoka ran her mind very carefully over that young one to find the source of his distress, and immediately looked up at Hera.

“And that is my cue,” Ahsoka said, handing him back to Hera. Hera looked at her puzzled, and Ahsoka said sheepishly, “I don’t think my body can give him what he wants.”

Hera‘s confusion slipped away, and she gave a laugh. “I am definitely keeping you as a babysitter,” she said.

Ahsoka smiled “I’d be honored.”

Hera took her son and sat in the chair. Chopper immediately rolled over, brandishing another blanket he had gotten from who knew where, and draped it over Jacen so that he could feed.

Rex cleared his throat, “Speaking of food, Kallus do mind fetching some for Ahsoka and me?”

Kallus nodded, grateful for an excuse to leave the room. Ahsoka watched as he practically ran out of there.

“He seems nervous,” she remarked.

Zeb waved a hand dismissively, “He’s worried you’re going to be mad that he assumed your handle as Fulcrum for a while.”

“He did?” Ahsoka looked around the room, and everyone nodded back in confirmation. Ahsoka looked at Zeb, “What prompted that?” she asked, curious how Zeb felt about the man who led the campaign on Lasan, which ended in the slaughter of his people.

Zeb shrugged, “I seem to have inspired him,” he said. “We got stuck on the Geonosian moon of Bahryn together.” His face scowled, “At least that is what he says. I think he met the real face of the Empire and became spooked.”

“The real face of the Empire?” Ahsoka asked.

“Vader,” Rex said from his seat. He was staring at Ahsoka intently, “Speaking of which, how did you escape him on Malachor? What Kanan and Ezra said of that mission didn’t leave much hope.”

Ahsoka gave them a sad smile, “Ezra saved me,” she said. “He pulled me out that fight while he was in the world between worlds he entered through the Lothal Temple.”

She expected Rex to launch into a lecture about how she could have been so foolish to even try to fight Vader on her own, but he only got a thoughtful look on his face.

Disturbed, but not sure why, she settled herself into one of the free chairs in the room, “So, what else have I missed?” she asked them all.

They told her. About Maul, and his influence over Ezra. About the Sith holocron interacting with the Jedi one, and Maul’s obsession with using them together to learn how to defeat Palpatine. About learning there was a new spy within the Empire who was using the handle Fulcrum. Learning that the spy was Kallus. How they had rescued him from Thrawn. About the civil war raging on Mandalore. About the Alliance base they had founded on Atollon, and how it had been discovered by the Empire and lost. About Thrawn’s tightening grip, both on Lothal and the Imperial sector of the Outer Rim. About Kanan’s death, and Ezra’s desperate gamble to save them all.

Ahsoka listened to the whole tale, and after Kallus returned, ate as she tried to keep up with all the developments she had missed. When Sabine was done, Ahsoka shook her head.

“Ezra was always very unconventional,” she said. Honestly, using the purrgil’s had been an incredible risk. And Rex hadn’t been exaggerating in the slightest. There was no way of telling where Ezra had ended up. No one fully understood how the purrgil’s jumped into hyperspace, never mind their flight paths.

Sabine snorted, “Too unconventional,” her hands tightened into fists,

“Commander Zato is dead?” Ahsoka asked, voice grieved. She had worked with him for years, and it was a hard thing to hear.

Hera nodded, speaking in a low voice, as to not disturb Jacen. “Yes. And we lost many more at Scarif and the Battle of Alderaan.”

Ahsoka leaned back into her chair, “What was the Alliance doing at Scarif anyway?” she asked.

Kallus answered that one, “It was where the schematics of the Death Star were being stored,” he explained, “We needed to steal them in order to know where to strike at that thing.”

Ahsoka nodded. She looked at the room “So the Empire hasn’t come back to Lothal?” she asked, “At all?”

They all shook their heads, Ahsoka wondered out loud, “Why hasn’t the Alliance made their base here?”

Sabine snorted, “I won’t let them,” she said firmly, “The second the Alliance moves here, the Empire will be here, not five minutes later. Ezra gave up too much to protect this world. They’re fine on Yavin.”

“For now,” Zeb muttered, and Sabine glared at him. “What?” he protested, “You know it’s true. Ever since Alderaan, the Empire has been in full crackdown mode.” He tipped his head to Ahsoka, “We haven’t exactly been _completely_ left alone. About a month ago an Imperial droid entered the system, did a scan, and blew up. It’s why you had such a hostile reception.”

“Nobody shot at me,” Ahsoka said, “That makes it downright friendly.” She reached over, and picked up her cup and starting to drink from it.

Sabine laughed out loud at that. Ahsoka looked at her curiously, “Not to be rude,” Ahsoka asked, “but why-“

“Is the Alliance listening to a formerly disgraced Mandalorian Imperial School dropout?” Sabine’s mouth twisted. “It’s because of the civil war on Mandalore,” She gave Ahsoka a cynical look, “Because of everything else going on, the Empire is using a light hand in its involvement-“

“And because Mandalorian civil wars get very messy, very quickly,” Kallus added on.

Sabine didn’t even look put out, by the comment, “My people are warriors,” she said, “And if you get involved in a civil war on a warlike planet-”

“You could find yourself the enemy both sides focus on,” Ahsoka said. “Okay. That explains the Empire’s caution. But why is the Alliance giving so much weight to your requests?”

“Because I found the Dark Saber,” Sabine said softly.

Ahsoka almost dropped her cup, “I’m sorry. You found _what?_ ” she asked

“The Dark Saber,” Sabine looked grimly amused, “And with it restored my honor in Clan Wren.” She looked away, “I also gave it to Bo-Katan Kryze. She is currently leading the Mandalorian factions against the Empire.”

Well, the hits just kept coming. Very carefully Ahsoka sat her water back down on the tray with her empty plates on it. “Bo-Katan is still alive?” she asked, very carefully.

Surprise flickered in Sabine’s eyes as she looked back at Ahsoka, “You know her?” she asked

“Yes,” Ahsoka murmured, “We’ve met. But it was a very long time ago. Her sister too.” And what weird quirk of the Force was it that suddenly the Siege of Mandalore was everywhere she went?

“The Alliance doesn’t want to piss off the anti-Imperial faction on Mandalore,” Hera said, bouncing Jacen up and down to get him to burp, “And since Sabine has a huge sway with them…”

“They are staying off Lothal,” Ahsoka mused. This aspect of the Rebellion wasn’t anything she had missed, the various juggling of the competing interests of the fighters. She looked at everyone here, “So you all resigned from the Alliance?” she asked.

Hera shook her head, “No,” she corrected, then looked at Sabine, “We help when we can.” She gave a small tight smile. “We were there at the Battle of Scarif. But the Ghost took too much damage to help during the Battle of Alderaan.”

“Actually, I’m still with the Rebellion full time,” Rex corrected, and Wolffe gave a snort.

“Yeah, you saw those holos of General Kenobi, and you went _running_ ,” he said.

“Wolffe,” Rex said dangerously, and Wolfe looked away.

“What?” Ahsoka asked, wondering about the tension between the two men.

Wolffe snorted, “He wasn’t supposed to stay,” he said. “Rex was supposed to go there, yell at his General, and _come back_. But apparently Kenobi’s got a new apprentice, and Rex can’t seem to help but follow any Jedi who comes along-“

“That’s enough Wolfe,” Rex said, coming to his feet, face flushed. “You are talking about things you don’t understand.”

“Because you won’t tell me,” Wolffe said, getting to his own feet. “If that pilot’s name is Poe Dameron, I’m an angel from Iego.”

Ahsoka looked up at Rex, “Apprentice?” she asked, hoping her voice didn’t betray her.

Rex sighed, “He’s the one who fired the shot that blew up the Death Star,” he said tiredly. He looked at Ahsoka, “He’s a good kid,” he said. “You’ll like him.”

“Will I?” she asked, wondering about that voice talking about the Jedi’s failures.

Rex nodded, “And the reason I’m here,” he said looking at Wolffe harshly, “Is because Mon wants to talk to Kallus.”

“Talk to Kallus about what?” Ahsoka asked looking at the former Imperial.

“About replacing Draven,” Kallus said, looking uncomfortable again.

Ahsoka shot him a pained look. Draven’s network of contacts and allies was almost as old as hers, and the man had a way of thinking that Ahsoka had never quite mastered, “Draven’s dead?” she whispered.

Sabine snorted, “Worse, he’s been demoted.”

Ahsoka looked at all of them “ _Why?”_

“Because he got it into his damn fool head that Leia Organa is a spy,” Rex growled, “And he disobeyed orders and continued to follow her.”

Ahsoka’s head started pounding, “A spy for who?” she asked

“Vader,” Hera said.

Ahsoka looked from face to face. “I-“ she shook her head, “I’m sorry _what?_ How in the name of the Force did Draven come to that conclusion?”

Sabine gave a mock salute, “Haven’t heard the gossip on that one yet?”

Ahsoka shook her head, “No,” she said honestly.

Hera’s face was set, “Leia escaped from him on the Death Star,” she said. Escaped or had been let go? Ahsoka had firsthand experience how difficult it was to escape Anakin when he had his focus on you. It also fell within the timeline she had put together in her head of when Leia arrived here. Although Anakin had never mentioned he had captured her, and that had not been in any of the official reports either. “Ever since then he’s been obsessed with her.”

“Obsessed how?” Ahsoka asked cautiously,

“Twenty-five million bounty,” Rex said, staring at Ahsoka intently, “Alive. No harm.”

Ahsoka nodded, “Yes,” she said, “I knew about that.” She shook her head, “That’s more than mine ever was.”

Rex nodded grimly, “Yes,” he said, “I know.” Ahsoka looked at him sharply, trying to figure out what exactly he was trying to imply, but he went on, “It’s also worth more than Kenobi’s and Mon’s.”

Sabine made a ‘go on’ gesture with her hands, “Tell her all of it,” she said.

“All of it?” Ahsoka asked.

Rex rubbed the back of his head, “Reports from our people on the inside of the Empire also confirm that he is obsessed with her.”

“She did escape him,” Ahsoka said slowly, trending a very careful line here, “Stands to reason that would piss him off.”

Rex shook his head, “No Ahsoka, _obsessed_. He wants to know every detail of her life. He pulled all records having anything to do with her.” He started ticking them off one by one on his fingers, “Financial, school records, hell even all the legislation she wrote, both for the Senate and the legislative youth program she participated in. Before Governor Shale took possession of the Alderaan Palace, rumor has it that Vader seized everything there.”

Anakin had never been one for things, but Ahsoka supposed that could have changed over the last nineteen years, it certainly wouldn’t be the most startling one that had happened to him. “Well, he is a high ranking Imperial Officer. They are known to-“

Rex shook his head, “No, he had _never_ done that before. And other then the Alderaan Royal Jewels, and the personal Library, everything else he took was Leia’s. Nothing else. Not the artwork, not the Queen’s personal jewels, just anything that _might_ be considered Leia Organa’s.”

“What are the Imperial spies say is his reason?” Ahsoka asked through numb lips. Anakin said that Palpatine didn’t know about Leia. But this behavior of his, the Emperor had to know something was amiss, and how long until it took that crafty mind to put it together?

Hera shook her head, “They don’t know.”

“Don’t know, or won’t say,” Ahsoka asked.

Rex looked at her firmly, “Don’t know,” he said firmly.

Zeb let out a loud yawn, “Who cares?” he asked, “Organa isn’t a traitor, anyone who has met her knows that. Why Vader does anything is beyond _anyone’s_ comprehension.”

Rex’s eyes slid away from Ahsoka, “It’s late,” he said gruffly. “And I have an early flight tomorrow to get back to Yavin.”

“Mind if I come along?” she asked.

“Going to yell at Obi-Wan?” he asked, a teasing glint in his eye.

Ahsoka shook her head, “Only if he hasn’t been eating again.”

Rex laughed, and shook his head, “Commander,” he said playfully, “If I didn’t know better, I would have said that was an insult to my abilities.”

Ahsoka gave him a smile in return “Not an insult to you, an awareness of Obi-Wan’s stubbornness.” She looked at Hera “Do you mind if I leave my shuttle here?” she asked. “I don’t want to show up above Yavin with it. There is no need to panic everyone, again, when an unidentified shuttle pops up. You are more than free to use it if you wish.”

“Of course, Ahsoka,” Hera said. She probably thought Ahsoka was asking to leave the shuttle so that she could spend more time with Rex. And while that was partially true, and Ahsoka had changed ships twice since leaving Telos, her paranoia wouldn’t let her bring a shuttle that she wasn’t a hundred percent sure of to the Alliance base.

Rex shook his head, and filed out of the room, the rest of them following. Hera got up from her seat, and Ahsoka called out, “Hera, a moment please?”

Hera looked at her, and stayed behind, she waved Chopper off when he would have joined them.

“Hera,” Ahsoka said, trying to figure out how to break this gently. But Ahsoka couldn’t leave Lothal without giving the woman _some_ warning, in case she never came back.

“I know,” Hera said, her arms tightening around her son, “He’s strong in the Force.”

Ahsoka nodded, relieved that this news wasn’t something that Hera didn’t already suspect. “Yes, he is.”

Hera looked up at her, “I figured,” she gave a small smile, “his favorite toy always seems to move closer to him, and is never where I thought I left it. At first, I thought it was simply because I was tired,” she gave her son a rueful look, “In the beginning I was waking up every three hours to feed him, but then when he started sleeping more, and I became a bit more aware of what was going on around me.” She looked at Ahsoka seriously, “I’ve never seen them move, but my memory is good, when I’m not exhausted.”

Hera took a deep breath in, “Is there anything I should know about Force Sensitive children?”

Ahsoka looked at her, “He’ll probably be prone to picking up the feelings of people around him quite easily. Try to teach him meditation as soon as you can, it will help.” She went forward and laid a hand in Hera’s shoulder, “And any time you need advice, you can always ask me.”

Hera shook her head “I’m so afraid,” she whispered, “before, I knew I could handle anything. But now,” she looked up, “If the Empire ever decides to retake Lothal, Jacen could fall into the hands of the Empire.”

“Yes,” Ahsoka said, “But I promise on my life Hera, if that does happen, I will do everything I can to get him back.” For most of her life, Ahsoka’s only vow was to the Alliance, to seeing the Empire crumble. In the last six months, she had made three more such vows, to Ezra, to Anakin, and now to Hera. Ahsoka wasn’t sure she could be faithful to all of them, but just because a task was difficult had never stopped her from trying before.

 

 

ABA – Day 131

 

 

Yavin was humid as hell. Ahsoka wrinkled her nose as she came down the ramp behind Rex and Kallus. She didn’t mind the heat, but the humidity was another story. It instantly made the cloak she was wearing cling to her skin. Both she and Rex agreed that they should wait to reveal Ahsoka’s identity. Rex said her resurrection would cause quite the commotion, and Ahsoka remembered enough of military life to know how fast gossip traveled. She didn’t want the Organa’s or Mon learning she was alive from anyone else besides Ahsoka herself.

But the humidity she was exposed to made her rethink that plan. Who decided that this was the perfect planet for a base? Although she supposed it was better than Crait, the salt there had a tendency to cut into exposed skin when the winds got high. Honestly, why couldn’t the Alliance find a beautiful beach and put their base there?

Ahsoka got her first shock when the ramp descended all the way to the ground, and it was Mon herself there to greet them. Rex looked startled at the fact that the head of the Alliance was standing not four feet from them. Mon gave him a pleasant smile, and Ahsoka tensed. She knew that smile, it was the smile Mon gave you when she had something to tell you that you weren’t going to like.

“Rex,” Mon said, voice nothing but soothing.

“Ma’am,” Rex answered, voice suspicious. “May I ask what you are doing here?”

She gave him a wan smile, “Given the fuss you raised last time I thought I should be the one to tell you,” she said.

Rex tensed up even further, “Tell me what?” he growled.

“Lt. Commander Dameron, Princess Organa, and Knight Kenobi are not on this planet,” she said.

Rex exploded, there was no other word to describe it. His face went red, and his hands came to his hips, as he yelled, yes _yelled_ , at the Head of the Alliance to Restore the Republic, “What do you mean they left the planet without me?” Beside him Kallus started inching away, worried about being caught in the cross fire when Mon started yelling back, or worried he was going to be hit by Rex’s now waving fists.

Mon shook her head, “It was just a recon mission Captain,” she said reassuringly. “They had a list of planets to check out for possible future bases. Lt. Commander Dameron thought, and I agreed, that they could all do with a bit of time off base.”

Rex didn’t sound at all appeased, “Knowing their luck they jumped into the middle of an Imperial convo.”

Mon shook her head, “They sent a status report this morning, and they didn’t report anything of the kind,” she said. She gave a smile to Kallus, “And Agent Kallus,” she said warmly, “Did Rex explain to you why you’re here?”

Kallus fell into parade rest, “Yes Ma’am,” he said.

“Good,” she looked at him, “I suppose you being here doesn’t mean you’ve accepted?”

Kallus shook his head, “No Ma’am,” he said, “I have a lot of reservations about taking this assignment.”

She nodded her head, “Thank you for coming to Yavin to hear me out,” then her gaze fell on Ahsoka’s hooded form. “And you brought a new recruit,” she said.

Rex shook his head, “No Senator, a very old one.” Mon looked puzzled, and Rex stepped forward. “Can we talk?” he asked in a low whisper, “Privately? And could the Organa’s be included?”

Not by a flicker did Mon reveal anything was amiss. The woman was quite possibly the most wanted fugitive in the Empire, and she saw nothing wrong with walking anywhere with Rex. Either Mon trusted him completely, or she lived more dangerously than Ahsoka did. “Of course,” she said. She nodded to Kallus, “The mess is still open if you are hungry Agent.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Kallus said.

“It’s just Mon,” she said kindly.

“Then I’m Alexsandr,” he offered.

She nodded, and waved to a rather large blue Twi’lek at her side, “Inejbore could you please see Alexsandr to the mess?” She looked at Kallus, “How about in an hour we met in my office, and we can talk about your concerns?”

Kallus have a bow, “I would be honored,” he said. She nodded, and then leaned over to whisper something in Inejbore’s ear. The Twi’lek nodded, and then he and Kallus walked away.

Mon turned to Rex and gestured for them both to follow. The temple was a maze, Ahsoka could track where they were going, but it was only her years of training that allowed her to do so. She imagined that the new recruits became very lost, very quickly in this maze.

They entered a room that had to have been part of the original structure of the Temple. There was a massive stone altar in the middle of it. The massive solemnity of the space was somewhat undercut by the cheap chairs littering the room. Mon moved to the head of the altar and gestured to the seats indicating that they should sit.

Rex shook his head in the negative, and Ahsoka followed his lead. Mon frowned, “Why all the secrecy about your guest Captain?” she asked. “Should I be worried?”

Rex shook his head, “No Senator,” he said, “I just thought their Majesties would prefer to get this news in person, rather than hear it through the grapevine.”

Mon frowned, and looked at Ahsoka, who removed her hood. Mon swayed a bit on her feet, and her face grew pale. She whispered, “Fulcrum.”

Ahsoka gave her a small smile, “Hello Mon,” she said.

Mon came over to her and put her arms on Ahsoka’s shoulders, She cleared her throat, and said, happiness in her voice “Ahsoka Tano. It is very good to see you again.”

Ahsoka gave her a smile, “It’s good to be seen-“ she started to say, and that was when Bail burst through the door,

“Mon,” he said rushed, “I just got your message. What has that fool done with my daughter now…” his voice trailed off as he got a good look at who was in the room.

“Prince Organa,” Rex said happily, gesturing to Ahsoka, “look who I found.”

“Ahsoka?” Bail whispered, looking her up and down, from head to toe. Then he took a step closer towards her.

“Bail,” she said, and she couldn’t beat all the anger out of her voice. He didn’t even notice, but Rex and Mon did. Then she shook herself. She didn’t have enough friends left in her life to start cutting them out. Especially since she didn’t know _why_ Bail hadn’t told her about Anakin. The rest of what he concealed from her, she understood, but not Anakin.

“Ahsoka,” he repeated, and then he _shoved_ Mon aside, and gathered Ahsoka up in a hug. Ahsoka stiffened for a moment, startled. Bail had never shown this level of physical affection for her. She could feel his heartbeat pounding so hard, she was surprised that it wasn’t beating out of his chest.

Breha’s voice came into the room, “Bail, what-“then her voice trailed off. “Ahsoka?” she asked.

“Hello Breha,” Ahsoka said over Bail’s shoulder. He still hadn’t let her go.

Mon’s voice was amused, “I think I’ll leave you all to catch up.” Ahsoka could hear her footsteps, and then she paused by the door, “Ahsoka, would you mind terribly seeing me tomorrow sometime? Say, after breakfast?”

Bail finally let her go, and Ahsoka could pull back. She was shocked to see the older man wiping tears away from his eyes. He really had thought she was dead, Ahsoka realized. And he had mourned her. Perhaps this friendship of theirs was real.

“I-“ Ahsoka looked at Rex, “I actually came here to see Obi-Wan,” she said.

Mon nodded “Of course,” she said soothingly. “After lunch then?” Her smile grew warm, “The _Falcon_ is due back early in the morning. That should give you two plenty of time to catch up.” Ahsoka nodded her head, and Mon left the room.

“Ahsoka,” Breha breathed, then came over to her, “How?” she asked, taking Ahsoka’s hand in her smaller one.

Rex snorted, “Jedi nonsense,” he said.

“I’m not a Jedi, Rex,” Ahsoka reminded him, ignoring the sabers on her belt.

“Fine,” Rex allowed, “The _Force’s_ nonsense.”

That was true enough. Breha’s eyes were misty, and Ahsoka looked at her. Had she known about Anakin? Of course, she had, she was Leia’s mother, and Bail didn’t keep secrets about Leia from his wife. But had she known that Bail hadn’t told Ahsoka about Anakin?

“Force nonsense?” Bail asked, and Ahsoka looked at him.

She shook her head, “Tomorrow,” she said firmly “I will tell you all tomorrow the whole tale,” Including the parts that she had left out when she talked to Rex. Bail opened his mouth to protest, but Ahsoka cut him off. “When Obi-Wan is here,” she said, “I really would only like to tell this once.”

Bail shut his mouth, but there was a hurt look in his eyes. “Why?” he asked, and it took all of Ashoka’s control not to start yelling at him for everything he hadn’t told her.

Breha clucked her tongue, “You are being unreasonable Bail,” she said, breaking the tension between the two of them “It’s a perfectly valid request.”

Bail looked away from Breha, and she scowled, “Don’t take your frustrations out about Leia on to Ahsoka.”

Now, what did that mean? Ahsoka felt a chill travel down her spine. Just because Leia didn’t want Anakin to kill them, didn’t mean that Leia had a good relationship with her parents. Had she not told them about what had happened to her? There was no way to ask them that. But just because she couldn’t directly ask didn’t mean that she couldn’t ask _anything._

“Is everything alright with Leia?” she inquired, and Bail and Breha stopped glaring at each other to look at her.

“Leia’s fine,” Bail said, a quick fake smile crossing his lips, “We are having a disagreement with her about her work here at the Alliance.”

Ahsoka cocked her head, “She isn’t taking it seriously?” she asked.

Bail shook his head, and that false small faded away, “No,” he said, looking tired, “Too seriously.”

“We are worried that she is allowing the mission to consume everything,” Breha explained. “And that she is trying to do too much too fast.”

“Leia has always had a strong sense of duty,” Bail explained. “But lately…” he trailed off. Lately, it had become more. Ahsoka filled in. Because Leia had been given the opportunity to change it.

Ahsoka allowed the jealousy to flow over her. It was only natural to be jealous of the opportunity that Leia had placed in front of her. The Force knew, if Ahsoka had been given the same opportunity, she wouldn’t be wasting her time either.

Breha gave Ahsoka a tremulous smile, “If the debrief is happening tomorrow, why don’t you tell us how long you were on Lothal?”

“Only a day,” Ahsoka admitted, sitting into the chair, grateful they were moving to another topic. Grief filled her heart, “I meet Jacen,” she said.

Breha looked at her husband, and Bail said, “General Syndulla’s son.”

“Oh, yes,” Breha’s face lit up, “He’s what, a year old now?”

“Yes,” Rex answered taking the seat next to Ahsoka, “And quite energetic.”

Bail waited until his wife sat, and then took the chair next to her “Is he walking yet?” he asked, “Leia was a sweet baby until she got her legs underneath her. Then she was _everywhere_.”

Rex shook his head, “No,” he said, ”Crawling, sort of, but not trying to walk yet.  Twi’lek children don’t age as fast as human ones, and so far he’s leaning more to his mother’s side then his fathers in that regard,” He pulled a little holoprojector out of his pocket, and flicked it on, showing the Organas Jacen’s holo.

And that was how Ahsoka spent the rest of her night. Catching up with old friends, learning the gossip around the base, and what she had missed. Leia never came up again, and neither did the war. There were so many things not said, things that weighed on Ahsoka’s mind, but she wasn’t willing to sacrifice this for that. A little bit of peace, of fun, of relaxing with old friends. The universe, and the Force, could give her that much, and help her remember what exactly Ahsoka was fighting for.

 

 

ABA – Day 132

 

 

Ahsoka was waiting in the hanger bay, watching the _Millennium Falcon_ land in the bay, from the shadows cast by an X-Wing. Rex had looked at her funny, when she had retreated, rather than stay with him to greet the people coming off the Corellian freighter. That had been Ahsoka’s intention, right until the ship had entered the hanger bay, and she found herself walking several steps back until she was in a spot where she could see what was going on, but they couldn’t see her.

Rex looked at her, and she shook her head. She couldn’t. She needed a few minutes to gather herself. Everything depended on this. She needed to make a good impression on Leia, she needed to keep control, she needed to take a moment and assess what she would be dealing with. Other then Zeb’s assurances Leia wasn’t a traitor to the Alliance, which Ahsoka already knew, and that she was dutiful, according to Bail, she knew nothing about the woman who was going to decide her fate. Then there was that faint feeling of Obi-Wan in the Force, along with another bright nova, that if she hadn’t known better, she would have thought was Anakin. Leia certainly had inherited her father’s strength in the Force.

Then the ramp descended, and a motley crew of four humans and one Wookie walked down the gangplank. They seemed to be very relaxed, as all of them were laughing and talking among themselves. And one of those humans had Obi-Wan’s unmistakable cultured voice.

Ahsoka’s breath caught in her chest. Obi-Wan was there. Rex had said he was alive. _Anakin_ had said he was alive. She had seen those holos of him. But if there was anything she had learned over the last nineteen years was that hope could be snatched out from under you. It wasn’t until this very minute that she realized that she had expected to come this close, only for the man to die right in front of her. _Again._

Rex, meanwhile, had crossed his arms in front of his chest, and he waited, several feet from the bottom of the plank, displeasure in every line of his body

When the group noticed him they all got very quiet. Rex waited until all of them were on the ground, before he said in a loud displeased voice, “You all went off planet,” he said, voice loud enough to carry. “Without me.”

Ahsoka blinked, this was unexpected. He had thrown a fit yesterday when he learned that these people had gone off-world without him, but she never expected him to lecture them about it. In the old days, he never would have dared to do so, the lines of command were just too strongly ingrained in him.

The absurdity of all these people, including the Wookie, all slightly leaning away from Rex was enough to break the raging tempest inside of her brought about by seeing Obi-Wan. The woman, and that _must_ be Leia, swayed just the tiniest bit from Rex. From this angle, Ahsoka couldn’t get a good look at her face, but she was surprised to see how short the Princess was. Anakin was quite tall, for a human, and Padme had been of average height. Leia barely came up to Obi-Wan’s _shoulder._ Ahsoka hadn’t expected any child of Anakin to be this _little._

Then Leia straightened her shoulders, but her answer was lost to Ahsoka among all the noise of the hanger bay. Ahsoka watched, fascinated as Rex didn’t back down, just proceeded to continue to lecture them all. It was rather effective, from what Ahsoka could see, there was a various shuffling of feet, and they all looked away guilty.

When he was finished, Rex gave a nod of his head to emphasize his point, then gently pulled Obi-Wan towards where Ahsoka was standing. She noticed that the Wookie wandered off, and there was something familiar about him, but not enough to really catch her full attention. The other three stayed put, talking among themselves, but that was out of habit that she even noted it. All her attention was on Obi-Wan. She was grateful to Rex for understanding her better then she understood herself. She wasn’t sure she could move, as she watched them come to where she was standing.

The holo hadn’t been that off. In person, she could see that his hair and beard were still there, a little thinner, and a lot grayer. The first time she had seen the gray hairs on his head, Ahsoka had been worried that it was a sign of some sort of illness for him. He had laughed and told her that it was just from age. When she told him that she didn’t think he was that old, he had given her a sly grin, and in a loud voice, to make sure that Anakin could hear him, proclaimed that stress could do it too. And that every grey hair he had was from seeing Anakin to his knighthood.

Anakin’s face had scrunched up and told him, that if Obi-Wan was going to try to tell _Anakin’s_ padawan stories, about Anakin’s padawan years, then he was sure Ahsoka would be interested in what _really_ happened on Cato Neimoidia.

Ahsoka’s mind was to the present when she heard Obi-Wan ask Rex, “How was Lothal?” While her mind had been lost in the past, they had gotten much closer to where Ahsoka was standing.

Rex flashed that teasing smile of his, “Interesting,” he allowed.

“Oh?” And that one word almost brought tears to Ahsoka’s eyes, along with that arch look. She had missed Obi-Wan’s droll humor. And he knew Rex well enough that he should be very wary of whatever was prompting that smile.

“Interesting how?” Obi-Wan asked, and there was such weight to that question. Ahsoka never thought she would ever have anyone besides Rex in her life who was so aware of what she had lived through as a Padawan of the Jedi Order. Kanan came the closest, but that was understanding borne of a similar experience. Obi-Wan had _been_ there. “In, my what a pleasant surprise?” Then he teased Rex back, aware of how many of their past missions had gone _interestingly_. “Or, we all need to run for our lives now?”

Ahsoka took a deep breath. It was now or never. Three more steps and he would see her. Besides, how could she resist such a perfect opening line for her entrance? She stepped out of the shadows she had been hiding in and asked in a fake breezy tone, “Depends on how you view the arrival of unexpected friends.”

Ahsoka watched as Obi-Wan’s face lost its wry look of amusement. He turned his head very slowly to where she was standing, as if he was afraid she wasn’t real. When his gaze met hers, he swayed slightly back and forth on his feet. “Ahsoka?” he asked, voice soft and lost.

Ahsoka nodded, her own happiness and relief at seeing him making it feel like she was going to burst. She felt her face stretch into a wide goofy smile. “Hello Obi-Wan,” she said, sobs barely contained.

For one long, breathless moment, everything around Ahsoka stopped. And then Obi-Wan was right _there_ , holding her tight against him.

”Ahsoka,” he sobbed. Ahsoka turned her head into his shoulder, taking in the warm smell of him. Obi-Wan smelled faintly of ions, the fall season on Coruscant, and most importantly _home_. Ahsoka was suddenly hit by a thousand memories of this man’s teasing smiles, advice, and encouragement.

“Ahsoka,” Obi-Wan repeated. He was shaking, Ahsoka realized dimly, or maybe it was her, it was all hard to tell. She just let all the emotions wash over her. Dimly she was aware that they were attracting a crowd, but she was too happy to care.  

This was all was too familiar to her, this whole situation. It took her a moment to place why, and then she realized that this was almost exactly like the time after the Rako Hardeen incident. No, Obi-Wan hadn’t been this shaken back then, only her, but it was still too familiar to her. And as soon as she could bear not to be hugging the crap out of him, she was going to tell Obi-Wan that. She wasn’t going to stand for him faking his death even one more time. She settled for saying into his ear, “Obi-Wan you have got to stop faking your own death.”

He actually had the audacity to argue with her.  “You first,” he said, in a distorted voice. He pulled back, and Ahsoka could see the wonder and delight in his eyes, then it was chased by grief.

“I thought you were dead,” Obi-Wan’s eyes were haunted by things Ahsoka didn’t understand. “I felt you _disappear_.” He had felt that? She opened her mouth to apologize, but his fingers tightened on her shoulders, like Anakin was going to appear suddenly in the middle of the base and snatch her away “I thought he killed you.”

There was no wondering who “he” was. And Anakin had come close. So close. If it hadn’t been for Ezra, she would be. Ahsoka let out a loud laugh, when it occurred to her, for the first time, what that must of looked like to Anakin. One moment she was there, and then the next, she had disappeared right in front of him. “Not quite,” she assured Obi-Wan “I’m fine. I promise.”

His eyes suddenly were filled with disappointment. Shaking his head, he reprimanded her, “Ahsoka, you never were a good liar.”

Ahsoka was an excellent liar. She had to be to have survived the last nineteen years. But here was someone who knew her. Who had known her before everything had gone sideways on her? Before she had to leave the only home she had known. Who understood where she had come from. She battled back the hysterical sobs that were lodged in her throat. “It’s a long story,” she said, and one small sob broke through, “one I will tell later.”

There was a look in his eyes that she remembered from her padawan days, the one that said he didn’t believe her for a second, but that the minute they weren’t in a public place he was going to demand a full explanation. She had hated that look when she was younger, and the dressing down he usually gave her after she gave him her report. Now all she wanted to do was hug him again. Whoever thought she would miss Obi-Wan’s _lectures?_

“Look at you,” Ahsoka brought her hand up to his face, “You’re really here.” Anakin had said so, but Anakin was drowning in so many lies, that it was entirely possible he had let his fear overcome him. And he did fear Obi-Wan. Ahsoka wasn’t sure why, or how it had come about, but he did. “Rex said you were alive, but I was afraid to believe.”

He said nothing to that, just pulled her back into his arms. “When did you get taller than me?” he complained.

Ahsoka shook her head, bemused by the fact that he was taking issue with the fact that she had aged.

There was a commotion somewhere near them, but Ahsoka paid it no mind. Let them all gawk. Obi-Wan’s arms tightened around her, and dimly she was aware that the noise was getting closer and closer.

Then someone below her beeped out at her in Binary. [Ahsoka? Is that you?] It took a moment for the language to translate in her head. She blinked, she must be more distracted than she thought, she had been listening to binary since she was fourteen. She knew it almost as well as she did Basic. The question was followed by a warbling [Ahsoka?]

Ahsoka reluctantly pulled herself out of Obi-Wan’s arms and looked down “What the-” she started to say, but she stopped talking in shock as her gaze see a very familiar looking droid.

[Ahsoka,] R2’s high pitched warble was almost painful to her ears [it’s me!!!]

Obi-Wan’s hand tightened on hers, and she could only stare down at the battered droid. He had seen better days, but he seemed to be in one piece, and there was clearly nothing wrong with his memory. “R2?” she whispered, almost slipping into her old nickname for him.

R2 rocked happily on his feet, [Yes! Yes! Yes!,] he chirped. [I am so very glad to see you were not terminated!]

It had to have been at least five years since he had seen her. And he would have known that she hadn’t come back from Malachor. Either Bail had told R2 himself, or the curious little droid ferreted it out. He was the best slicer she had ever met, and that included some very talented individuals employed both in the Empire and the Hutts.

She laughed, at the sheer anomaly of having so many people she loved in one place. She gave in to the impulse and knelt down to hug R2. “I’m glad you weren’t terminated too.” She rested her cheek against his dome, hearing all his mechanical parts humming happily under her ears. “It’s good to see you again too.”

[Ahsoka], R2 hummed, and she could feel the tremors in his as he vibrated with happiness under her.

A hand fell gently on her shoulder, and for a moment all was right in Ahsoka’s world. Obi-Wan, R2, and Rex were all here, and if she closed her eyes, and pretended hard, that supernova presence she felt in the bay could have been Anakin. Oh, how Ahsoka wanted to go home.

R2, for better or ill, shattered the moment, [Obi-Wan! Remove yourself! This is my time with Ahsoka. You had one hundred and thirty-three seconds, it is my turn.]

Obi-Wan’s voice was chiding, “You have to share R2.” Ahsoka could hear the fear in his voice. It was one she was all too familiar with. That this would all be a dream, and she would wake up still on Malachor, or worse.

R2 was never one to give up that easy. He made a disgruntled beep. [Step away,] he demanded, [I need to do a full visual scan to make sure Ahsoka is operating at maximum efficiency!]

Was this really going to turn into a tug of war over who loved her more? Ahsoka wanted to remind both of them they were older than her, and should really be past this kind of nonsense.

Obi-Wan’s hand was not removed from her shoulder, “She’s fine, take my word for it.”

[Listen to me you overzealous, mis-wired, pompous organic-] R2 started to say.

“R2!” another voice from her past shouted “Language!”

Threepio, that was _Threepio_ , he was here too. It really was almost every ghost from her past here. Ahsoka withdrew from her embrace of the droid. He gave a disappointed whine, but pitched it high enough that no human could hear it.

“It’s okay R2,” Ahsoka said as she came to her feet. “I’m going to be here for a while.” Maybe, depending on Leia “We can talk later. I have a lot to tell you that I don’t want Obi-Wan to overhear.”

[Really?] He sounded excited, but also wary. How long had it been since someone had recognized what he was capable of, and treated him accordingly?

“Yes, in fact, I think I’m going to have a mission for you.” And she really didn’t want Obi-Wan to overhear this one. The look on his face said he thought she was just humoring the droid, but she really did have something for him to do. It wouldn’t involve anyone shooting at R2, and those were the ones he liked best, but it did involve deceiving everyone, and the droid had a rebellious streak a mile long.

[I GET A MISSION!] he practically screamed. [It’s been so long.] And he headed over to Threepio. Probably to gloat about how vital he was compared to a “mere” interpreter.

Ahsoka worried slightly he would think that what she wanted him to do was beneath his abilities. But on the trip to Yavin, she had asked Kallus why he had decided to take her role in the Alliance. He had shrugged and said that what the Empire was willing to do to maintain power wasn’t worth the cost. Better a galaxy in chaos, then this rampant deliberate destruction.

He couldn’t be the only one who felt that way among the Imperials. Even during Ashoka’s time, she had kept a file of Imperials who were possible candidates to become spies, or outright defect. And the whole galaxy had heard what Tarkin had threatened to do to Alderaan. A defenseless world. A pacifist world. There were plenty of people in the Imperial ranks who genuinely believed the lies the Emperor was selling. What Tarkin had tried to do Alderaan shattered that lie.

But according to Rex they hadn’t seen a huge influx on Imperial defectors. So, what had those people done instead of coming here? Ahsoka hadn’t heard of any mass defections of Imperials on the holonet, but then again, she wouldn’t, would she? She needed R2 to comb through all the data the Alliance had on every Imperial soldier, officer, and grunt. And given the mess Draven had caused with his paranoia about Anakin’s interest in Leia, she needed it done _very_ quietly.

Ahsoka had a feeling the answer R2 was going to find would be of little comfort to her. She had a feeling that someone, alright _Anakin_ , and possibly Piett, was recruiting. It would explain why TooVee was giving him _diplomacy_ lessons. Even before he fell to the Dark Side the thought of Anakin as a diplomat was laughable.  Now it was downright frightening.

“Obi-Wan?” a voice asked. Ahsoka looked over to see that one of the people Obi-Wan had exited the ship with had made his way over. He looked at Ahsoka with undisguised curiosity and wariness. There was a taller, darker haired human behind him, and Ahsoka could just make out a short human woman behind the blond.

Ahsoka could see Obi-Wan’s embarrassment in the tiniest motion he made with his head as if he was going to bow. “Luke,” he said, addressing the blond. “I would like you to meet a very dear friend of mine.”

[Yes! Yes! Yes!] R2 squealed from the side [Ahsoka must meet the variant!]

Variant. That could only mean one person on this base. It was time to meet this woman who the Force had re-written everything for. Who _Anakin_ was willing to defy everything for. Ahsoka swallowed the bitterness the thought provoked. It wasn’t Leia’s fault that Anakin was responding like he was. And Ahsoka was the one who had placed the condition that Leia needed to be told about who sent her, so she had no one to blame but herself for that one.

“Of course,” Ahsoka said, coming forward, the beginning of a smile starting on her lips.  Apparently, Obi-Wan wanted to start with him, not Leia. Perhaps he was easing her into telling her that Anakin had a daughter? It was nice that _someone_ took her feelings into account on that. It wasn’t like it mattered, she was on Yavin for this man too, as well as Leia.

Anakin had said that Leia’s husband had been a Jedi. This close to him, Ahsoka could feel he was a strong one too. If she had to guess, based on his shields and level of control and using Ezra as a guide, Obi-Wan had been training him for about a year, maybe two. He hadn’t been trained since he was a child, like Ahsoka had been, she was sure of that. Teenager more likely, and that made her wonder where had Obi-Wan even _found_ him? Anakin had said he spent the last nineteen years on Tatooine, but given how rare Force users were, it was unlikely that remote planet had produced _two_ strong Force-sensitives.

“Ahsoka,” Obi-Wan said, such happiness on his face. “I would like you to meet…” he gestured to the blond, and his voice hitched for a moment. Ahsoka doubted anyone else even noticed he covered so smoothly. “Luke Dameron.”

But there was the strongest brush across her mind as the word Dameron went past his lips, and all Ahsoka could hear ringing in her mind was _“Skywalker.”_

Ahsoka felt the smile wipe off her face. Both at the casual use of talking mind to mind, when had Obi-Wan learned to do _that_ , and that _name._ “I’m sorry what?” she asked, sure she had misunderstood.

The blonde came forward, and he nervously wiped his hand on his pants before offering it to her. A pair of very familiar blue eyes looked into hers, from an unfamiliar face. “Hi, I’m Luke,” he said. And that _voice_ , that had been the voice she had heard in the Void, the one who had said that there was still good in Anakin. And the one that had also called the Jedi Order a failure.

Ahsoka looked down at the hand that was being held out to her. Then she brought her face up to peer at this human standing in front of her. She had been so focused on Obi-Wan, on Leia, that she had ignored the fact that this was the presence that had felt so like Anakin’s on the ship, even when he had been standing in front of her. She took a step forward, ignoring the hand offered out to her, studying that warm, friendly face. The look of it was all Anakin, from the wheat brown hair, to the set of his cheekbones, even to that nervous smile.

Luke. Luke Skywalker. Obi-Wan’s apprentice, was named Luke _Skywalker_. She looked over to Obi-Wan, who was beaming at both of them.

“Really?” she asked, afraid to believe. Afraid what this meant for _all_ of them if this was true.

“Yes,” Obi-Wan said, pleased that she understood what he was trying to tell her about Luke’s parentage. Or perhaps he was just happy that Ahsoka was finally meeting someone he loved. And he clearly loved Luke, it was written all over his face.

Ahsoka brought her gaze back to this youth, with the heartache of so many ghosts looking back at her. Two paths, she realized dimly. She had been shown _two_ paths. Choose. Only not which timeline to be in, but which twin would _reach_ Anakin.

As her thoughts whirled in her head, Ahsoka found she could no longer stare at that almost familiar face. She allowed her gaze to fall away from Luke, over his shoulder, trying to find a second to _think_ , and she met Padme’s eyes.

Ahsoka’s heart stopped beating for one long wrenching second. Then the distrust and suspicion in those eyes registered, as well as the subtle differences between the two of them. Not Padme, this was _not_ Padme. But Leia Organa certainly could have been her twin. Those brown eyes regarded her warily, and Ahsoka could see the mind behind them whirling away.

How the hell had Anakin _missed_ this? How did the Emperor? And just what in the name of the Force had Bail been thinking let Leia near _either_ of them?

“And her?’ she asked Obi-Wan, needing confirmation of the answer she already knew.

Obi-Wan frowned. “This is Leia Organa,” he said cautiously.

Twins. By the Force, Anakin didn’t have one child, he had _twins._ Ahsoka looked back at Luke, then Leia. And yes, if that dangerous glint in Leia’s eyes was anything to go by, she was well aware of the relationship between them. Which made Ahsoka wonder if Luke was from the future too.

Aware of the awkward silence, and Obi-Wan’s curiosity, Ahsoka gathered herself. Now was not the time, not here. She stepped forward, offering her hand, trying to make up for her earlier staring “Hello Luke. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” That young face regarded her solemnly, and it hurt for Ahsoka to look at it.

She gathered her emotions close to her chest, then turned her head to glare at Rex. “You are certainly not who I expected with the last name of _Dameron_.” Her old friend only gave her a completely unrepentant grin. Figures he would do this, he always did like surprising her, and she should have been more cautious when he had gotten cagey about Obi-Wan’s new apprentice.

Ahsoka let her hand fall away from Luke’s and allowed herself to meet the suspicious eyes of the person she had been sent here to protect. Leia Organa looked young, she would give Anakin that, but there was nothing soft and vulnerable in the way she held herself. If he thought she needed protecting, then he was allowing his overprotective nature rule over him again. Ahsoka wasn’t sure if that was a good sign, a return to the Anakin she knew, or a bad one, that he was allowing darker emotions to guide his thinking.

“Hello Leia,” Ahsoka said softly, intently studying that round face for any hints as to what Leia could possibly be thinking. “It’s nice to finally meet you **.”**

Leia’s face was remote, and her sense in the Force was just as muted. If Ahsoka hadn’t been told otherwise, she would think the woman in front of her only had a limited ability in the Force. Not someone who met Anakin head on and managed to keep him out of her head.

“And you,” Leia responded, eyes searching Ahsoka’s. It took every ounce of Ashoka’s control not to let anything show on her face at the sound of Leia’s voice. She had been fairly certain it has been Leia she had heard in that second ring, but now she had confirmation.

 _“Twins_ ,” her mind gibbered uselessly at her, _“There are_ two _of them._ ”

Ahsoka wasn’t the only one trying to keep a facade up she realized. Leia’s face was calm, and her words were polite, if a bit short. But she had a death grip on the human male beside her hand. Which meant _this_ was the murdered husband, not Luke. Oh, this was a fine mess Anakin had just led her into.

Ashoka felt a sad smile cross her face. She was fairly certain Leia wouldn’t denounce her right here in the hanger bay. Not unless Leia wanted everyone in the hanger to know about how Leia knew Ahsoka was here at Anakin’s request. And she couldn’t reveal that without disclosing her connection to Anakin. Given the gossip the Ghost crew was talking about last night, almost no one in the Alliance, and certainly no one in the Empire knew that Leia was Anakin’s daughter. And Leia wanted to keep it that way. Ahsoka debated with herself for a moment. Warn Leia now? Or later? If she did it now, Leia might very well snap and lose control. Or feel like Ahsoka had cornered her, giving her facts in a place where she couldn’t respond.

On the other hand, it wasn’t fair to Leia to withhold this. She had a right to know why Ahsoka was here, and she was worried, at least if Ahsoka was going to go by how tightly she clung to her husband. Or was it the soon to be husband? Or _possible_ husband? Hell, romance had never been Ahsoka’s strong suit. She had no idea what the two of them had worked out.  

And Ahsoka really needed a name, she couldn’t just keep calling the man, ‘the husband,’ but given how tightly Leia was shut down in the Force, Ahsoka didn’t want to set her off by asking for an introduction.

It was that sense that Leia was afraid, that made Ahsoka’s decision. Leia wasn’t Padme, any more then Luke was Anakin, but Ahsoka couldn’t look into that face, and not want to sooth the fear. This was a gamble and a huge one at that. Ahsoka stood to lose everything. Not just her life, which she was more than willing to trade away for the right reasons. Anakin would come for her. There was no way he would leave an enemy at his back. And that is how he saw her, or had convinced himself he saw her. But an enemy he could trust to watch over his daughter.

There was also the fact that before he killed her, Ahsoka would lose everyone. Obi-Wan, who she had just found, the crew of the Ghost. Everyone would turn their backs on her if Leia revealed Anakin sent her. It didn’t matter that Ahsoka wasn’t here to spy on anything just to protect. Hell, Anakin might not get a chance to kill her, the Alliance would execute her themselves, rather than have her fall into the hands of the Empire with the location of their base.

But since when was what doing what was right easy? It would be too easy to wait, and tell Leia later, until later blew up in Ashoka’s face. She had to deal honestly with this woman, because there were very few people who she could be honest with right now. Ahsoka took a step forward and said as softly as she could “Your fathers have had nothing but good things to say about you.”

Leia’s face paled immediately, and Ahsoka fought to keep her own muscles from tensing up. One thing she had just learned about this woman, she wasn’t stupid. She understood very well what Ahsoka had just implied. Ahsoka could feel the woman gather herself, and then in a very neutral voice remarked, “I’m not sure you should believe everything you heard,” she said, suspicion radiating off of her, despite the calm even tone “My father is not the most” her mouth twisted bitterly, “rational when it comes to me.”

Beside Leia, Luke tensed up at those words. So, he was aware of Anakin’s identity as well. Ahsoka briefly wondered who had told him, and then dismissed the question. It wasn’t relevant if Luke had grown up knowing about Anakin or not, he knew now, and that was what Ahsoka had to deal with here.

Ahsoka gave Leia a tight smile. She wasn’t fond of word games, and double meanings, but in her long years on the run from the Empire, she had gotten quite good at them.

“Oh, it was all good,” Ahsoka assured her, and strangely enough that wasn’t a lie. Both Anakin and Bail had been complimentary about Leia, if very worried about her. And both of them worried for the same reason. Well, wasn’t that odd? Ahsoka allowed her voice to pause meaningfully, and then went on “if a bit, fantastical.”

Leia didn’t look at all reassured. Ahsoka gave her a grim grin “Fortunately I’ve lived a few fantastical things myself and had an easier time than he expected believing him.” And that was the understatement of the century.

Leia’s eyes narrowed, as she tried to understand what Ahsoka meant by that. Whatever conclusion Leia came to wasn’t a reassuring one to her. Every line in Leia’s body was readying itself for an attack. Ahsoka flickered her eyes down to Leia’s belt, to see if she was going to be dodging blaster bolts. Leia wasn’t armed, at least not openly, but that didn’t mean much. Ahsoka could hazard a pretty safe guess what nineteen-year-old Leia could reasonably be expected to be capable of. She had no idea how old this one was, or what training she had.

Beside her, the husband also seemed to be readying himself for a fight. At least that was what his body language was saying, no matter how hard he was trying to hide it with a flirty smile. And he _was_ armed. Whatever Leia was going to do, he was going back to it. And that wasn’t even taking into account, Luke.

Obi-Wan’s voice broke the tense silence, “Ahsoka! Come over here and correct Rex’s memory of what really happened on Mandalore. I’m afraid he’s letting nostalgia blind him."

Ahsoka felt the smile on her face, she couldn’t help it. Obi-Wan was _here._ She could walk a few steps and talk to him. Then the smile faded as she regarded the concerned look on Leia’s face. Leia’s eyes flickered to Obi-Wan, and immediately her face softened.

She cared about him, Ahsoka was shocked to realize, as Leia’s eyes flicked back to Ahsoka, the wariness replaced with a thoughtful expression. She genuinely cares about what he wants. Ahsoka had been worried about that. Obi-Wan was a wonderful person, loving, warm and caring. He was also sarcastic, aloof, and wary of new people. And that wasn’t even considering his ability to slip into the role of ‘Jedi Master,’ and become as remote as ice caves on Ilum. She had been so afraid that the only person on this base that Obi-Wan could claim as a friend was Rex and Bail. And Obi-Wan needed, and deserved, more than that.

Understanding that Leia would let her leave this little meeting, she addressed the woman first, “It was very nice to meet you,” she said. Leia looked at her, and there was a warning there, but no outright denial.

Breathing an internal sigh of relief, Ahsoka turned to Luke, “You as well,” she said ruefully, “no matter how much I wasn’t expecting it.” And how much his very existence threw everything into chaos. Even if Leia did let her stay here, Ahsoka wasn’t going to be the one who told Anakin about Luke. And there was no way he would ever forgive her for withholding that from him when he found out. And he would find out, she didn’t need the Force to tell her that. Secrets never stayed buried, not fully.

Pulling her thoughts away from their depressing path, she gave them both a slight bow and headed over to Obi-Wan.

“It’s the General who doesn’t remember Mandalore,” Rex complained as she approached them.

“Really?” Ahsoka asked, amused by the aggrieved look on Obi-Wan’s face.

Then Rex scowled at something behind Ahsoka. In a loud booming voice he called out, “Did we suddenly defeat the Empire, and no one told me?”

Ahsoka heard the shuffling of feet behind her, and the embarrassment of several people all at once getting called out. It was still taking her aback at all the attention she was getting around the base. She and Rex had eaten in the mess this morning, and she had worn her lightsabers openly, for the first time, in a long time. At first, there was no reaction, but as she stood in line for food, she had heard the whispers start, then grow to a loud roar through the room. So far, no one had approached her about it, but she could feel the interested gazes as she had walked the halls of the base to greet the _Falcon_ as it came in.

Most of those looks had been a cross between awe and some form of extreme reverence. Then there were the one or two that only held wariness. Those were the ones she had been expecting. There weren’t many former Separatists here on the base, at least ones who had fought in the Clone Wars, but there were enough.

And if the grimace on Obi-Wan’s face was to go by, he was also subject of interest, probably for the same reason. It had been a long time since she had lived somewhere as someone of intense interest. Usually, she went out of her way to be unremarkable, it was one of the reasons she had managed to evade the Empire as long as she had.

There were a few quiet “No sir’s” at her back, and she heard the crowd disperse.

Rex’s voice boomed out “Then get back to work!”

Obi-Wan sent the clone an amused look, “Ever the soldier?” he asked.

Rex scowled, “Nosy busybodies.” He turned to Ahsoka, and gestured to her belt, “I’m sure those are the reason they were all lingering.”

Ahsoka gave him a bright smile, “And here I thought it was my winning personality,” she quipped. She looked at Obi-Wan, expecting him to butt in with some quip, but she was shocked to see that there were tears in his eyes as he stared at her.

Unsettled, and knowing that if she offered any indication she had seen him upset in public, he would only shut her down, Ahsoka turned to Rex, “Mandalore?” she asked him, hoping to give Obi-Wan the time he needed to gather himself.  

“Yes,” Rex said, face understanding, “Obi-Wan is insisting that we only fought two squads of the Death Watch, not four.”

“It’s not my fault that you took so many blows to the head you are misremembering which battle had how many squads,” and Obi-Wan’s voice was full of wry, detached amusement once again.

Ahsoka gave them both a cheerful grin, “You’re both wrong,” she informed them primly, “And as I recall Obi-Wan you had the lead in head wounds, not Rex.”

Obi-Wan scowled at her, “I did not,” he complained.

Rex rolled his eyes, “Not how many times we had to drag you into the infirmary General. But how many _actual_ head wounds.”

Now Obi-Wan looked shifty, “I don’t recall any such behavior on my part.” He placed his hand on his chest “I recall I was nothing but reasonable and responsible about my injuries.”

Rex just looked at him, “Just because you use a lot of words, doesn’t mean you can hide your meaning from me.”

Obi-Wan dropped his hand, “I’m hurt Rex, after all these years together, and you don’t trust me at my word.”

Ahsoka bit back a laugh, “It doesn’t matter,” she reminded them, “Because there were _three_ squads on Mandalore,” Then she scowled “Of course Maul was a problem all on his own.”

“He’s gone now,” Rex said.

Ahsoka shook her head, “So you say,” she muttered darkly, “but he’s been dead before and somehow slithered his way back to life.”

“Maul is dead Ahsoka,” Obi-Wan said, a faraway look in his eyes, and Ahsoka was surprised to hear real sadness in those words, “I gave him a funeral in the deserts of Tatooine about two years ago.”

Ahsoka looked at him surprised, both at the information, and that after all Maul had taken from him, Obi-Wan found enough compassion to give the man proper rites.

“I’m sorry it had to be you,” she said gently. Reaching out and touching his shoulder, “I know how much he cost you.”

“In the end, he was only a shadow of himself,” Obi-Wan looked away, “burned away like so many of us.”

Rex made a disgusted noise in the back of his throat, “This is not a time for sorrow,” he said firmly “Or old ghosts.” He looked back and forth between the two of them, beaming, “We are all _here.”_

Obi-Wan’s smile was incandescent, “Indeed we are,” he said with a bright laugh.

“Catching up on old gossip?” Leia’s voice cut across the light moment. She sounded amused.

Obi-Wan turned and looked at her with such honest affection it took Ahsoka a moment to regather her scattered thoughts. Ahsoka didn’t know if he knew the truth about Leia, the time traveling truth, not that she was Anakin’s daughter truth, but it was clear to anyone with eyes that he cared about her. “Yes,” he said beaming.

Luke came up behind Leia, and it was all Ahsoka could do not to stare. He even _moved_ like Anakin. How was that even possible? He gave her a nervous smile, and cleared his throat, “So Lady Ahsoka-”

That was entirely too close to Lady Tano, and Maul, while dead, was very much on her mind this moment. “Just Ahsoka,” she said.

“Ahsoka,” he said with a slight tip of his head, “How long have you been on base?”

“Not long,” Ahsoka admitted, shooting Leia a look, “about a day. Rex, Kallus and I arrived late last night.”

Leia looked around the hanger bay “Where is Kallus?” she asked.

Ahsoka wondered if Leia knew Kallus or was _going_ to know him. And Ahsoka’s own head was beginning to hurt trying to keep track of all the possible scenarios of who knew what, and what Leia did, and did not know herself. She couldn’t even imagine how much Leia was guarding her tongue.

Ahsoka answered her, “In a meeting with Mon,” Then a helpless laugh escaped her throat. “I have to say, when I arrived on Lothal and found out he took my place as Fulcrum, I was pretty shocked.”

Luke’s eyes narrowed “Wedge speaks highly of him.”

Well, Ahsoka had just stepped on _someone’s_ toes as far as Luke was concerned. Was it her subtle dig at Kallus, or the question of this Wedge’s judgment?

“It wasn't an insult to his abilities Luke,” she said, trying to soothe him. There were too many shocks hitting her all at once, and it was throwing off her concentration. She was usually much better at getting people to like her. “It's just that he was one of the most loyal Imperialists I knew of.”

And he had been dedicated to that cause too. But he wasn’t the only Imperial on this base, and not even the highest ranking one to defect. “He gave Kanan and Ezra quite the chase.” There was pain in that name. Kanan had been a friend, and a good man. And now his son would grow up without a father. Ahsoka forced her raging emotions back. Jacen wasn’t the only child to grow up without a parent because of the Empire, and he wouldn’t be the last. She couldn’t let herself become too personally invested in that fact, at least not so much it became her only focus. That way led to the Dark Side. Acknowledge your pain, but be aware it wasn’t worth any more or less than anyone else’s.

Leia looked at her thoughtfully for a second. “Fulcrum,” and oh, Ahsoka’s title, not her name. That was not a good sign, “Would you mind terribly if I borrow you for a moment?”

Ahsoka wasn’t surprised, Obi-Wan was though. “Why?” he asked, suspiciously. And Ahsoka stared at him. It wasn’t like Obi-Wan, at least the Obi-Wan she remembered, to be this blatantly open with his suspicions.

Leia didn’t look offended, “I just have a few questions for her, that’s all,” Leia said easily.

“Going to interrogate her?” he said, and there was a defensiveness in his tone that Ahsoka didn’t understand. He clearly loved Leia, but he seemed to be jumping to some very bad conclusions about why Leia wanted to talk to her. Leia was in the right, of course, especially given what Ahsoka had hinted at, but Obi-Wan didn’t know that. His face hardened “Trust me, there is no reason to.”

There was every reason too, and Ahsoka was grateful to Leia. Her face didn’t break its even composure at Obi-Wan’s frankly rude tone “I prefer to think of it as a preventative defense.”

Obi-Wan didn’t back down “A defense of what?”

Ahsoka laughed. As much as some of this was by no means what she was used to from Obi-Wan, it was heartening to know that somethings didn’t change. “You are still very oblivious to people’s affection for you Obi-Wan,” she observed.

Obi-Wan’s gaze went from hostile to puzzled. He looked at Ahsoka blankly. “You,” Ahsoka said, and pushed a finger into his chest for emphasis, “She wants to defend you.”

Obi-Wan ‘s voice was puzzled, “Me?” He looked pleased for a moment, and Ahsoka felt her heart lurch as she realized here was another person in her life that Leia Organa had enormous sway over.

Then he grew outraged, on Ahsoka’s behalf, and Ahsoka felt her jealousy melt away. It was ridiculous anyway, you could love more than one person after all. “Don’t be absurd,” Obi-Wan was practically sputtering, “I don’t need-”

Rex, with his usual sense of timing, cut him off. “General, why don’t we let them talk?” He gave Ahsoka a pointed look. “I’m sure Luke also has a lot of questions for Ahsoka.” Rex knew something was up, even if he didn’t know the particulars of it. He knew that there were parts she was leaving out of the story of her escape from Malachor.

Ahsoka was grateful for his discretion, even while she felt guilty for abusing his trust. In abusing Obi-Wan’s trust. She had come here with the best of motives, but there was no getting around the fact that she was here at Anakin’s request.

Leia’s gaze was fixed on Ahsoka, and she knew that they needed to get through this. Ahsoka needed to know if she was staying, this limbo was fast becoming unbearable. Time to get to doing, and let the fallout come.

“It’s fine Obi-Wan,” Ahsoka reassured the man. “I’ll meet you in about an hour for lunch?”

Luke spoke up, “Might I suggest you meet in Obi-Wan’s room?”

Ahsoka looked at him. His face was much more serious than she thought such a request, even as odd as it was, merited. Luke gave her a bashful smile. “Unless you want every person in the mess hall trying desperately to overhear your conversation, I think privacy would be a good idea.”

Oh yes, all of the people here on base who would view her and Obi-Wan’s lunch as their in-meal entertainment. That had all the appeal to Ahsoka as walking onto Ilum without a coat. She supposed it was all the years on the run. When she had been younger, she had been something of a show-off. Or perhaps it was maturity. She had been so desperate to impress everyone in those days.

Obi-Wan nodded his agreement and reached out and gathered Ahsoka in his arms in another hug. “I’m so happy you are here,” he whispered in her ears, perfectly hitting the volume where she could hear him, but the humans around them could not.

She just squeezed him back hard, not trusting her words, not to convey everything she was feeling.

He withdrew and gave her a smile. Then he turned to Leia. His voice was pleading as he said, “Please, play nice.”

Leia only arched an eyebrow at him. “I always do,” she answered him dryly.

Whatever was on Obi-Wan’s face knocked the mocking look off Leia’s face. Her face grew serious, and she came up to him. “Please,” she said in a soft voice, “Indulge me.”

Leia really did care about Obi-Wan. It overrode her own clear reservations about Ahsoka’s presence on this base. Leia was being as discreet as possible, not for Ahsoka, but to protect Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan’s voice was full of astonishment. “You are very protective. Rabidly so.”

Leia shrugged nonchalantly. Then a wicked smile crossed her face, and Ahsoka had to bite down her gasp. Up until now, all she had seen was Pamde on that face, but that _smile_ , it was all Anakin.

Leia reached up on her tip toes and brushed a kiss against Obi-Wan’s cheek. She must not have understood how acute Ahsoka’s hearing was because she didn’t keep her voice quiet enough for Ahsoka not to overhear what she was saying to the older Jedi.

“I told you Obi-Wan, I do care. And I protect what I care about.”

As much as Ahsoka was jealous of Leia’s influence over the two men who had been such a fundamental part of her life, Ahsoka could only be grateful to hear those words. It reassured Ahsoka to know that someone on this base could see that Obi-Wan did need protecting. He was prickly when he was feeling vulnerable and inclined to get lost in his own head if you let him. He needed to be reminded to live sometimes. And Leia clearly had the will to confront him about both of those things, and to recognize that even the strongest of them could be so incredibly brittle.

Ahsoka could _feel_ Obi-Wan’s blush, even with his back to her. “Well, I,” he stammered. Ahsoka felt a grin tug at her lips, Obi-Wan needed constant teasing, that hadn’t changed about him either.

“Ridiculous,” he told Leia in a warm tone, as he playfully reached out and tapped her nose “you are absolutely ridiculous.”

Leia’s face was nothing but warm mischief, “I never denied that.”

Obi-Wan shook his head, and he and Rex headed off to the main hallway leading out of the hanger bay. Ahsoka watched him go, half of her terrified to let him out of her sight. It took more control then she was expecting not to follow him. To trust that he would be back. That this was not all a hallucination, or some figment of her imagination. When he slipped out of her line of sight, she finally let her gaze fall back to Leia.

There was nothing on that face but a cold remoteness. It was the first time that Ahsoka had seen any hint that Leia was also _Breha’s_ daughter, but that look was all the Queen of Alderaan.  Ahsoka felt the first true fission of fear hit her. The next few moments, and this woman, would determine if she would lose the last home she had. “Is this a conversation we can have here?” she asked Leia.

Leia came stalking up to her, Luke and the other man following at her heels. “What did you mean by ‘fathers’?” Leia demanded.

Skywalker impatience, check. Ahsoka should be grateful Leia had been willing to control it as long as she had. But a screaming match in the middle of the Hanger Bay was not a good idea. Both she and Leia had secrets they didn’t want to be disclosed to the base at large.

“Definitely not here,” Ahsoka said calmly, not too terribly phased by the woman’s ire. She should be, with everything that was riding on the next few moments. But compared to Anakin’s fits of anger that he displayed on Malachor, this was _nothing_. Ahsoka turned on her heels, heading out of the crowded hanger bay, and its many curious ears.

She didn’t bother to look behind her to see if they were following. Luke’s presence was a warm fire at her back. She couldn’t sense Leia, and that in itself would have alerted her to the unusualness of Leia’s situation if nothing else. She assumed Leia’s husband was coming along as well.

Ahsoka wound her ways through the hallways of the base, heading back to the meeting room where she had talked to Bail and Breha. It was the only one she knew the location of, and they hadn’t been disturbed at all yesterday. She strode into the room, and jumped up on the altar. The three of them followed, all of them looking at her with suspicious eyes.

The husband, and Ahsoka really wanted his name, stayed by the door, leaning against it in an attempt to look casual. Ahsoka wasn’t fooled for a moment. There was a wariness in the man’s eyes, and his fingers were dancing as he visibly restrained himself from pulling his blaster.

Leia and Luke flanked her from both the right and left. Ahsoka was rather amused to see them so in sync with each other. Leia clearly knew both men from her last life, but they hadn’t known her nearly as long. It was impressive, and a little scary, to see how well they operated as a team. They hadn’t even talked about it what they were going to do on the walk over here, and Ahsoka would have heard them.

Ahsoka looked from face to face, seeing only open hostility.  “I understand why you all are wary, but I’m no threat to you. Any of you.”

The husband spoke in a deceptively mild voice. “We’ll see.”

Ahsoka nodded, then looked Leia up and down. She was almost a hundred percent positive that these two knew everything, otherwise, why would Leia invite them to come with her to talk to Ahsoka? But Ahsoka already had several of her assumptions turned upside down on her today. She would tread gently, and not barrel through this conversation and upsetting Leia more than she already had.

“How freely can I talk?” she asked Leia, allowing her gaze to briefly linger over Luke and the husband.

Leia’s face didn’t lose that remoteness, “As freely as you want.”

That was Bail’s trick. Answering a question without really answering the question but baiting you into revealing more. Ashoka found herself smiling, “You are very much Bail’s daughter.”

Leia looked startled for a moment, as if she hadn’t expected Ahsoka to acknowledge that. Was this a sore spot for Leia? Ahsoka had a pretty good idea how Anakin would have reacted at Leia calling another man Father.

But true to Bail, Leia didn’t say anything else. Well, Ahsoka hadn’t come here to play games. She nodded her head at the brunette man, scowling openly at her now. “I imagine he is the dead husband?” And wasn’t that a fun complication? When Anakin figured that the tutor and the husband were two different people, he would start hunting Luke very seriously. Anakin had very clear views on the Jedi, and it didn’t involve them living to old age.

Leia’s voice snapped. “Are you here to spy on me for Vader?”

Ahsoka swung her gaze back to Leia, “Am I what?” she asked, not believing her ears. A spy? _Her_? It was a poor spy indeed that walked up to you and let you know that something was amiss.

“Here to spy on me?” Leia repeated.

Ahsoka looked at her, wondering if Leia really thought she was that stupid. “No,” she answered, and then realized, given the fear on Leia’s face, this conclusion had very little to do with Ahsoka, and everything to do with Anakin. She cursed him in his head. If there was one thing, _one thing_ , Palpatine was good at, it was patience and restraint. Hadn’t Anakin learned how to at least _pretend_ at restraint from his new Master? Or did he have to overkill _everything?_

Ahsoka asked cautiously “Why would you think I was?”

Luke’s voice was just this side of furious, “You wouldn’t be the first one Father sent.”

Ahsoka had known Luke was Anakin’s son of course. But to hear it said so openly was still quite the shock. “That word,” she told Luke, “is going to take some getting used to.”

Luke didn’t seem to share in her amusement, just glared harder. Ahsoka kept her grimace to herself. She long ago stopped making jokes at inappropriate times, but for the last few months old habits she long ago shed, were cropping up again.

She sighed, and looked at Leia, “No, I’m not here to spy on Leia. I didn't even know he sent anyone else besides me.”

In fact, that had been one of the points she had been so proud of that she had gotten him to agree too, that she wasn’t there to be a spy. “ _No, you are not,_ ” he had agreed with her, damn him. Of course, he agreed to her condition, because he already had one here. “Makes sense though. Not only as a backup but to keep eyes on me too.”

It was also an action he could take before coming to Malachor to retrieve her. Even if Palpatine did catch him at it, what was the Emperor going to do? Chastise his apprentice for trying to take down his enemies?

“Why bother?” the husband asked. “Aren’t you here under his orders?”

Ahsoka ignored him. Getting into that twisted mess wasn’t something she wanted to do right now. No, she wasn’t under his orders, whatever Anakin thought about it, but being here was not something she had fully reconciled herself with. Especially with the existence of Luke. She looked at him, trying to figure out how old this person was. She was fairly certain he actually was nineteen, but better to check. “Are you from the future too?”

The scowl dropped and was replaced with astonishment, “What? No!” he looked so surprised. “Why would you think that?”

Ahsoka had been right, but that didn’t make it any less of an unreasonable question, “She is,” and she gestured to Leia, “Given that you are twins, it was a fair guess.”

Leia sounded as if she was eating glass “Vader told you.”

Ahsoka looked at her. Surprisingly, for him, Anakin had a good understanding of the depth of Leia’s negativity towards him. No wonder he had been so closed mouthed. “Yes, he told me about that.”

The husband spoke, “So who are you to him? Exactly why would he trust you with this?” Trust? That was a joke. Anakin didn’t trust her anymore, too caught up in the lies and deception of the Dark Side. “And why didn’t Leia shoot you immediately on sight?” That was a much better question, but Ahsoka didn’t have the answer for that one.

Leia didn’t answer, Luke did, “She was his apprentice.” And who had told him that? Leia? Or Obi-Wan?

The husband straightened up immediately, sheer terror on his face, and Ahsoka felt momentarily insulted. He didn’t know much about Force Sensitives, did he? Despite being surrounded by two of the most powerful that had ever been recorded in the Jedi Order’s history. No, Ahsoka didn’t know what their midi-chlorian count was, but she didn’t need to. Luke’s presence in the Force was like a warm sun, and while Leia was much more contained, Anakin said she had enough power to hold him at bay.

Leia, surprisingly, came to Ahsoka’s defense. “When he was a Jedi,” she explained to the terrified man, “not now. That’s how she knows Obi-Wan.”

The man relaxed fractionally, but his eyes didn’t leave Ahsoka. His hands were now hanging loosely by his sides, so he could draw his weapon faster. “Still doesn't explain why you didn’t shoot her when she mentioned Fathers, instead of Father,” he complained to Leia.

“Ahsoka never joined up with Vader in the other timeline Han,” Leia said, and oh thank the Force, Ahsoka finally had a name, “In fact, General Syndulla’s report on the incident was very clear that the Ghost crew was sure he killed her.”

Ahsoka winced. She had never meant to let them think she was dead for so long. But the Force, and her own “choice” changed that. Maybe. She wondered briefly, about that other path, and where it would have taken her. No, not where, she was always going back to Malachor, but there was a serious question of _when_ it would have left her there. Not too far, Leia knew her in this other time, but chances were good that it hadn’t been right after she left either.

It was futile to wonder about that now, that door was closed to her. But given what she had learned so far, she was inclined to think that other door, the one with Luke’s voice, led to Leia’s original timeline.

“You learned otherwise?” Han’s voice brought Ahsoka away from its fruitless wanderings about the nature of the Force.

Leia nodded. It was interesting that Leia was basing some of her reservations on Ashoka, based on what another Ahsoka had done. And apparently at some point that other Ahsoka had reached out to Leia. Or, more probably, Luke.

Leia looked at her, “And you believed Vader when he told you I time traveled? Just like that?”

Ahsoka was surprised “Why not?” she countered, “I time traveled too.”

Ahsoka was not expecting all three of their mouths to drop as they stared at her. Why was this so strange to them? Leia had time traveled. Clearly, if her alternate had time traveled, and who knew if that happened in that other reality, she had never mentioned it to Leia.

Han recovered first, “I’m sorry you did _what_?” he asked.

“I time traveled,” Ahsoka repeated. “Not as far as Leia did,” of that she was certain. She didn’t know how old Leia was, but by her behavior, and attitude, it had to be at _least_ a decade, maybe two. “It was roughly about three years. It’s how I escaped from Vader on Malachor the first time.”

There was only a long pause. Ahsoka frowned and looked at Leia, “You didn't know that?” she asked the woman. Even the diverging paths aside, Ahsoka ending up in the world between worlds had to have happened, she wouldn’t have survived Malachor otherwise. And Leia was aware that was where she had been “lost,” so that held true in both timelines. If this other Ahsoka also survived, it was because of Ezra. “I would have thought older me would have said something to you.”

Leia looked at a little stunned, but she shook her head in the negative. “You said nothing. But you and I didn’t have that type of relationship. You knew Luke better.” So, she had gone seeking Luke. And just what had she told that Luke? He was Obi-Wan’s apprentice here. Stood to reason he had been there as well. Had she sought him out to give advice? Find out if he knew about his father? Her breath stuttered, it was entirely possible that _Luke_ , not Leia, was the one that she had seen Anakin talking to.

Leia startled Ahsoka by marching up to her, stopping only inches away, eyes full of fire “Do you know why I time traveled?” she demanded, a strange, desperate hope in her eyes. “Or how? Is there a way to get back?”

Ahsoka just looked at her. Anakin had refused to say how Leia got here, but Ahsoka thought it was because Leia wouldn’t tell him. It never occurred to her that Leia didn’t _know_ and had been brought here by the Force involuntarily. Jealousy ate at Ahsoka’s heart for just a second. That Leia had been given this chance to make things right, and no one else. It wasn’t fair.

Then she let it go. If Leia hadn’t asked for this, that meant that she had walked into the situation completely blind. The void had been hard enough, and that was just watching the flow of time. How much harder to be thrust into _it_ with no warning whatsoever?

“I’m sorry Leia. But I didn't do what you did.” Ahsoka fought to keep her voice gentle. Despite her many envies of the opportunities this woman had been given, that didn’t mean Leia had wanted them. “I never changed bodies. I was just pulled through time.” Her voice softened at the look of stricken despair on Leia’s face, “And I know who did it.”

Leia looked like she was going to run out of this room and start interrogating them “Who-“ she started to demand, then cut herself off. “Ezra,” she said softly to herself.

Ahsoka cocked her head. Leia knew Ezra? When had those two met?

“Yes, Ezra,” Ahsoka agreed. She thought of the potential and peril in him. His loyalty and stubbornness. And the chances he took, so much so, that he was now only the Force knew. She felt the stab of grief wash over her heart and allowed it to swell and retreat. She missed him, and she knew it would be many years before she saw him again. “He pulled me through a door, or gateway of some kind into this…room.” She shook her head, words were falling in explain this. Could the Void _be_ explained?

“No, that isn’t quite right,” Ahsoka let her frustration show. It was so clear in her mind, but the words to truly describe it was eluding her “It wasn’t exactly a room. But it wasn’t space either. It was this… _place_ , built out of time and the Force. I could hear and see so many things.”

Ahsoka thought of Leia’s voice, wry and amused, saying that forgiveness wasn't about _deserve._ Ahsoka looked at the woman who was standing in front of her, vibrating anger and a steely determination. There was no give in her, and Ahsoka couldn’t even begin to reconcile the path this woman would take to get from where she was now, to where she was going to go. “What was, what is, what could have been.”

Leia looked defeated, but she still asked. “Do you know how to get back there?”

Ahsoka looked at her. Did she really want to go back? Ahsoka allowed her eyes to flicker to Han and Luke, and their stricken faces, then back to Leia’s face. There was a resignation there, an acknowledgment. Leia already knew the answer to this, but felt it was her duty to do her due diligence.

“No Leia,” she said, understanding the dilemma this woman was in. Dutiful, Bail had said of Leia. She is dutiful. Ahsoka couldn’t even imagine the responsibilities that this woman had left behind. The loved ones. And she didn’t strike Ahsoka as someone who easily shed them, either the ones here or in that other time. “But Ezra got there through the Jedi temple on Lothal. “

Leia was radiating defeat, “And the temple was destroyed.”

That was interesting. That meant from whatever point of time that Leia had come from, it hadn’t reappeared yet. Ahsoka corrected her misunderstanding. “Or moved itself to where it needed to be. I’m not sure any place that strong in the Force could ever really be ‘destroyed’”

The Temple had disappeared after Order 66 after all. It was only Kanan and Ezra’s calling it that brought it forth again. If Obi-Wan went to Lothal, could he get it to come back? Perhaps better not to voice that thought. Besides, Leia was here at the Force’s will, Ahsoka doubted that it would let her return from where it had taken her.

Han’s voice had a note of pure hysteria in it. “Oh, of course. This all involves a mysterious temple, that _moved_ itself. Because there are different _ways_ to time travel. That makes sense.”

In automatic response Ahsoka found herself saying, “In the Force, all things are possible.” It took her a moment to realize that Luke had joined her. She looked at him in surprise and then a sort of glee took hold in her heart. Yes, Luke was definitely Obi-Wan’s pupil.

Leia’s voice was bitter, “So, you don’t know any more than Qui-Gon does,” she complained.

It took Ahsoka a second to place that name. “Qui-Gon?” she asked, frowning to herself. Then it clicked into place, and her eyes widened, “Qui-Gon Jinn? Obi-Wan’s training master?”

Luke was looking at his sister, and there was so much pain in the Force surrounding him. Ahsoka could take a good guess as to why, but it wasn’t her place to comment on it. “Yeah,” he said distractedly, “that one.”

Ahsoka could not have heard that right. “But he’s dead! He’s been dead for decades!”

Han snorted. He looked at her with a mocking pity in his eyes, “Oh, so ghosts are where you draw the line at plausibility?” He shrugged “First time I’m hearing of this too, and you don’t see me running around insisting on what is and is not possible.”

Ahsoka thought about all the facts this man knew and accepted. Leia was a time traveler. Leia was Luke’s twin. Leia was his wife in an alternate timeline. Leia was Vader’s daughter. Hell, even the existence of the Force itself. He had to have been a child when the Clone Wars ended, and it was doubtful he had ever seen a Jedi. Even before they had been wiped out, there were plenty of people in the galaxy who hadn’t believed that what they could do was real.

“Well,” she conceded, “when you put it like that, it does sound ridiculous.”

Han just rolled his eyes, “All of this is ridiculous. The Force, time travel, ghosts, long lost twins. Pick one thing, and I would have told you six months ago you were living in a badly written holo drama.”

Ahsoka looked at Han, wondering at what strength was in this man. He could walk away. He hadn’t in another life, but she had no idea if his alternate was even aware of _any_ of what this Han did know. She needed to know, and know now, what he was going to do. Because if he ran now, she needed somehow to limit the damage. The Force only knew what Anakin would do to this man in his current mindset if he broke Leia’s heart.

“And now?” Ahsoka asked, not sure of which answer she hoped he would say.

“Still not sure if I believe,” he shrugged, and she could see his resolve firm up right in front of her. He nodded to Luke and Leia, “But they do, and I’m perfectly happy to follow their lead.”

Loyalty to people. Not a cause, not to a belief system, but _people_. Oh, Anakin would have liked him. Old Anakin would have, she wasn’t sure what the one in the suit would make of him.

Luke’s voice cut in, “That still doesn't answer the question of why you are here Ahsoka?”

Ahsoka’s thoughts left the past, and she brought her focus back in on Luke. There was no reason for her to lie, so she went with the truth, no matter that no one in this room would believe it. “I was sent to protect Leia.”

Luke didn’t look like he believed her. He was locked down fairly hard behind his shields, but they kept wavering just a fraction, and his emotions were bleeding through. “Only that?”

Ahsoka looked at him, “And you,” she said, still marveling that Padme had two children, and no one knew. “Or at least I think he meant you. All he called you was Leia’s tutor.”

Those weren’t the only words he had used. Disgust rolled Ahsoka’s stomach. “And husband.” Perhaps now was not the time to get into Anakin’s bitterness and jealousy about the fact that he didn’t know Luke’s name. Having met him, Ahsoka had a pretty good idea why Leia left Anakin with the impression Luke and Han were the same man. It was rather clever thinking on Leia’s part.

Han’s voice was an octave higher, “Why does he think Leia married…” he trailed off, and open admiration bloomed on his face. “You misled him,” his voice was filled with awe. “You misled him when you were in that cell.”

What cell? Anakin hadn’t mentioned anything like that. If Ahsoka saw him again, she was going to give him a very stern lecture about all the things he had failed to tell her. Not that he would listen to her, but it would make her feel better.

Leia only shrugged, like her accomplishment was nothing out of the ordinary. “I had to. He wasn’t going to let the identity of who taught me my shielding technique go without _something_.”

What was she talking about? Ahsoka cursed Anakin in her head for refusing to go into detail about how he came to know everything he did about Leia. As strange as it was, she probably would have had a better chance of Anakin telling her then Leia.

Leia went on, “I figured what was the harm in blurring the lines a little?” She turned to Luke and gave him a winning smile. “It’s not like I don’t love Luke too.”

Luke’s shields held, but by the look on his face, he wasn’t happy with his twin. Leia’s infectious grin slipped away as she noticed her brother’s anger.

Han interrupted the tense moment with “Not bad, your Worship.” Leia must really love him, Ahsoka thought dimly, because she didn’t strike Ahsoka as the type of woman who allowed just anyone to poke at her dignity with ridiculous nicknames. She didn’t even scowl in the slightest.

Leia looked at Han, relief on her face, “Thank you!” she said. Apparently, Han was the only one who had acknowledged the cleverness of what Leia had done.

Ahsoka looked at Han, making sure she had everything right, “So, you’re the husband?” Han nodded, and the look on his face was a heartbreaking mixture of pride and confusion. Ahsoka couldn’t even begin to guess at what that meant, but it wasn’t currently her place to pry. She turned to Luke, “And you’re the tutor.” Luke nodded.

Ahsoka thought about that for a minute. Leia had been clever, but there were things going on that Ahsoka suddenly understood, now knowing that Luke existed. Anakin had said his alternate never knew about Leia. That Leia was reacting to what his alternate did to her. It was unspoken that Leia couldn’t understand what _this Anakin_ would do for her. But that wasn’t true, was it? Leia did have a good idea of what Anakin would do when he found out he had a long-lost child. It’s just that she wasn’t the child in question.

“In this other timeline,” she asked, speaking slowly, trying to get her thoughts in order.  “Vader found out about Luke, but not you?”

Leia nodded. Not a very communicative answer, but she also wasn’t blowing up in Ahsoka’s face, so that was something. Ahsoka dared to press just a little further.

“And it went badly?” she asked, trying to keep her voice neutral. There was a brief flash of pain and anger in the Force, as Leia’s control slipped. It was the first time in the entire conversation that had happened. That was one theory confirmed.

Treading oh so carefully, Ahsoka asked, “When Vader told Luke? Luke got hurt somehow?”

Leia didn’t speak, and her mouth compressed into a tight line, eyes haunted by events that would now never happen. Ahsoka waited for her to regain control of herself. And then Leia looked at her and nodded.

Han broke in, “Wait,” he looked frustrated, and he waved his hands around in agitation, “That doesn’t make any sense. Up to this point, the guy has been rabid about protecting her. Why did he hurt the Kid?”

Luke looked very interested in that answer too, and he looked at Leia. She shrugged, “I don’t know,” she confessed, “Some of the things he’s done are the same. That bounty for starters. Both then and now it is the same, twenty-five million, no significant damage. But as far as I know, the other things he’s done…” her voice trailed off, and Ahsoka could see that mind whirling, putting things together she hadn’t before. Just what had happened between Leia and this other Anakin? Between that other Anakin and Luke? And because of that, how badly was Leia not understanding this Anakin’s motives here and now?

Han didn’t let her stop there. “Like?”

Leia glared at him, but Ahsoka piped up, wondering if Leia was so clouded by her own bitterness, she couldn’t even see this. “Protecting Alderaan.

Leia’s head whipped around to stare at Ahsoka, mouth dropping open. But her shock had to do with Ahsoka knowing that, not that Anakin was doing it. So, she did know about that, it gave Ahsoka hope that the woman wasn’t letting her heart blind her mind completely.

Ahsoka took pity on her and answered her unspoken question.  “He asked me for advice on how to manage the governor to make sure nothing too terrible happens to the people on the planet,” She gave a snort, and shake of her head, “He had to be desperate. I don’t know any more about political maneuvering then he does.”

Although, if Luke had been on Tatooine, then she knew why Anakin would be willing to protect Alderaan, but not Luke’s homeworld. “Although I can explain the difference there. Obi-Wan was on Tatooine for the last nineteen years, so I’m guessing that was where you were too?” She directed the question to Luke,

He nodded. “Explains that difference. He was never fond of his homeworld, and I’m not sure what it would take for him ever to do anything to try to protect it.” She thought of his quiet curse words as they traveled through the unforgivable desert on their way to Jabba’s place. Ahsoka was hit with a wave of exhaustion. It had been years since her past was so clearly on her mind, and she found that dealing with all of this was more then she wanted to bear.

Leia’s face twisted in disgust, “Who can blame him?” So, at one point she had been there. Although Ahsoka was curious as to why. Tatooine didn’t hold any strategic value to the Rebels. Maybe she went with Luke for some reason?

Luke’s face darkened in anger, and Leia looked guilty, and shot a quick glance at him, “Sorry,” she muttered.

Luke didn’t look like he accepted her apology. “Father is from there, he gets to be disparaging. You are from a Core World, you don't.”

By the hurt look on Leia’s face, Ahsoka was pretty sure Leia didn’t have a clue as to why Luke was angry. Ahsoka wasn’t going to explain it to Leia, she would probably just make things worse if she tried.

Leia, apparently not wanting to get into an argument with her brother in front of a stranger, offered him an apologetical head nod.

Luke’s anger didn’t recede, but it did change directions. “He did hurt you, Leia. He choked you in that cell.”

Anakin had done _what_? He failed to mention that to Ahsoka. Luke’s voice was biting. “I remember those bruises.”

Leia looked completely unperturbed by that fact. Like having her biological father assault her wasn’t anything new. Because it _wasn’t,_ Ahsoka realized. This was, in fact, entirely how she expected Anakin to treat her. And Ahsoka’s heart cracked in her chest. Leia’s casual acceptance of Anakin’s behavior, honed in how much he had changed from Ahsoka’s laughing, caring, loyal Master to Darth Vader, Sith Lord.

“I don't see where that would make a difference,” Leia said. “He cut your hand off, but that didn’t stop him from dueling you again.”

No wonder Leia had run. Just what the hell had happened in that timeline? What had that Anakin been thinking? He knew how painful such an event could be. If he was as desperate for Luke to join him as he was Leia, how could he blunder that badly?

Ahsoka looked at Leia, worried and afraid. She thought she understood what Anakin wanted. There were circumstances here she didn’t understand, but a version of him, a version so close to this one, had hurt Luke. Had hurt his son. “Are you sure you can’t think of any other difference?” Ahsoka asked, trying to understand.

Leia scoffed, “No. It’s not like he doesn’t choke people all the...” her voice trailed off, and suddenly she wasn’t there anymore. Oh, she was in the room, but her eyes had gone distant, like she had just put together a very difficult puzzle, and was seeing, for the first time, all of the pieces.

Luke was looking at Leia, waiting for her to come back to them. Ahsoka didn’t think the woman would respond well to any demand from her. Han had no such compunction. “What?” he demanded.

Leia blinked, and she was back just as suddenly as she had left. She looked at Han, but instead of answering him, she turned her gaze to Luke.

There were several intense moments as they stared at each other, until Han lost whatever control he had on his impatience.

He snapped his fingers, drawing everyone's attention. “Hey! For those of us who can’t talk to other people with our minds, can you explain what is going on?”

Ahsoka felt like the room had just opened up underneath her and it swallowed her whole. There was no way what Han said could possibly mean what she thought it meant. Speaking mind to mind was almost impossible. It took the highest level of dedicated training, and preparation. But Luke and Leia looked guilty, and Leia was opening her mouth to give an explanation.

“You two can talk mind to mind?” Ahsoka asked, too bewildered by what Han had said to focus on whatever conclusion Leia had drawn about Anakin’s behavior.  “Consistently?”

They answered her in one voice, “Yes,” like this was the easiest thing in the galaxy to do.

Ahsoka scrambled for an explanation that made sense to everything she understood about the Force, “But, _neither_ of you has the level of training required to do that.”

Luke gave her a small deprecating smile, “I’ve been working on it,” he said, sounding bashful “It was far too useful for me to wait on. I’m sure there are plenty of things you were taught before this that I don’t know.”

Taught before other things? Luke made it sound like he thought this was something every Jedi could do. He looked at Leia, then back to Ahsoka, “And I wouldn’t say it was easy. It took me a month to communicate consistently with Leia.” He frowned “I still drop out on Obi-Wan sometimes.”

Ahsoka’s mind reeled as she tried to understand what he was saying. “A month? It took you a month?” she asked, sure she couldn’t have heard that right. He nodded. If he mastered that technique in a month, what in the name of the Force did he think was _hard?_ “Luke, there were Jedi _Masters_ who worked years on being able to do what you do.”

She turned to Leia, almost terrified of the answer the woman would give, “And you? How long did it take you?”

Leia looked nervous. By the look on her face she, unlike Luke, seemed to understand that what she was about to say was in no way normal, “To talk to Luke?” she hedged.

Ahsoka nodded, willing to take any answer Leia gave her. Leia thought about it for a moment, “About four months.” Oh, like that was a _failure_.

“To talk to other people?” Leia asked. Leia could talk to other people _too_ ? Luke was her twin, and twins always had a stronger connection in the Force, but Leia could do this with other people too? She wasn’t even formally trained as a _Jedi_. These two, Ahsoka realized, these two are how Obi-Wan had suddenly gotten so much better at mind to mind talk.

Leia went on, “About a year. Not that I did that all that often. And when I did,” her face scrunched up, “I was much more inconsistent.”

Ahsoka couldn’t make the words come. She was just left flailing at what these two so casually decided what was and was not possible. Three Skywalkers, Ahsoka was struck anew by the fact that there were now _three_ Skywalkers running around the galaxy. The mind boggled

Han didn’t seem to see an issue though, “Yeah, so you two are outside of the norm, what else is new?”

Both Luke and Leia turned to stare at the man “What are you talking about?” Luke asked.

Han snorted, “That shot above the Death Star, Luke? Remember that? Remember you saying it shouldn't be that difficult.” Han’s voice was filled with sarcasm. Ahsoka didn’t know the particulars of how the Death Star had actually been destroyed, but given the almost worshipful way people talked about it, it was a million in one shot for any other pilot that didn’t have the last name Skywalker.

Then Han’s eyes narrowed on Leia, and “And you,” he said, his voice a thorough mix of wariness and exasperation, “you think nothing of walking into one of the most fortified weapon bases in the galaxy, and blowing it up.”

Leia didn’t back down, “Well I knew it could be done.”

Han didn’t look all that reassured, “Yeah, because you were crazy enough to try it the _first_ time.”

Oh, by the Force, two of them. There were _two_ of them. And they both had Anakin and Padme’s lack of caution about approaching impossible tasks. And they probably _encouraged_ each other. At least Han seemed semi-reasonable, if the glares he was sending the twins was anything to go by. Ahsoka had one ally who could see sense. Obi-Wan wouldn’t be any help, she knew. He had been long used to Anakin’s crazy ways, and his _own_ , to even be phased by any of this.

There was a long silence as the three of them seemed to be testing each other’s will against the other. Then Leia broke the tension when she turned to Ahsoka. “What do intend to do with anything you learn about the Rebellion while you're here?”

Ahsoka was wondering when Leia would get that to that. She shrugged “Nothing.”

Luke didn’t look convinced.  “Really,” he drawled.

Ahsoka nodded, “Really. Vader wants Leia safe. He wants Leia’s husband safe. He was willing to trade a lot away to see that someone he deemed ‘adequate’ would do it.”

Leia arched an eyebrow “Adequate?” she asked.

Ahsoka fought down the curse words that wanted to spill out of her, “His words not mine. I’m still a little pissed about that phrasing.” Understatement of the century. Then she looked Leia straight in the eyes, “I also got another condition out of him, although he was _really_ not happy about that one.”

Leia immediately grew suspicious, “Which is?”

Time to lay out every card Ahsoka had, and find out what her fate would be. “That you had the final say if I stayed here or left.”

Leia blinked, then she looked confused. “What do I have to do with anything? I'm not on the Alliance High Council. I have no authority over whether you stay.”

Of all the responses Ahsoka had planned for, Leia not understanding her hadn’t been one of them. Hurriedly Ahsoka clarified, “I told Vader that I wouldn’t stay here unless you were told why I was here and if you were alright with it.”

Leia looked shocked, but it was Han who asked, “And he agreed to that?”

“Took some screaming, but yes, he did.” And death threats, mustn’t forget the death threats.

Leia grow thoughtful, “Why didn’t he want me to know?” she asked, “You appearing here suddenly was bound to raise some alarm with me.”

Even in the dire circumstances she was in, Ahsoka couldn’t help but gloat a little internally at that. She loved it when she was right, “Which was the point I made.”

Then her elation faded, and Ahsoka looked down into her lap, to gather her thoughts. “He was worried that you would reject me out of hand,” And she thought he had been exaggerating. This was about the only subject in his life Anakin had a real clear understanding of.

“I countered that he had _no idea_ if you knew me before, and that if I showed up at his behest, that was almost certainly a deviation from what happened last time.” Ahsoka brought her head up, to look directly into Leia’s eyes “I didn't know if you would reject me out of hand if I told you the truth. But I did know if I lied to you, and it fell apart, you would be a fool not to turn me in, and I would have lost all the friends I still have, and be a traitor to a cause I believe in. And you would still be vulnerable.”

Ahsoka felt herself bite her lip. “He’s lost, Leia. So very, very, lost. I think the Dark Side has eaten away everything he once understood about love. But he isn’t so delusional not to understand that you have very strong negative reactions to everything he does in regards to you.”

Ahsoka had never once thought that Leia’s reaction to Anakin was unjustified. And that was before she learned Anakin had hurt her in this timeline too. What Ahsoka wasn’t sure of, was if Luke and Han were aware of what happened to Leia at the other Vader’s hands. It was Ahsoka’s experience that people responded to torture in vastly different ways. She didn’t want to expose this woman to more pain then Ahsoka had to, “And I know that you have good reasons why you see everything he does with suspicion.”

Leia’s face paled a bit, so she understood well enough what Ahsoka wasn’t saying. Her eyes flicked away briefly, then met Ahsoka’s again, and she changed the subject, “Do Papa and Mama know about your deal with Vader?”

“No.” Ahsoka shook her head, thinking of the million questions in Bail’s eyes as they talked last night. “They know something isn’t quite right.” But Bail, like her, wanted to spend some time together without that fight coming down on all of them. “But I wanted to spend as much time with them as I could before you made a decision Leia.”

No matter how angry she was currently at him, Bail had been her only friend and ally for a long time. Ahsoka couldn’t just forget that. Even in the beginning of the Empire, he had been willing to help her, despite it being an automatic death sentence, and the seizure of Alderaan by the Empire, if he was caught in her presence.

Leia studied her with cool brown eyes, “How are you so calm about this?” she asked.

It was nice to know that even with the breathless ease these two manipulated the Force, Ahsoka’s shielding was still holding. “What makes you think I’m calm about any of this?”

Luke’s voice was puzzled, “We are not getting anything off you in the Force. Even Obi-Wan bleeds around us sometimes.” Us, not me. Anakin said Leia wasn’t a Jedi, didn’t _want_ to be a Jedi, but Ahsoka had to wonder about how much both Anakin and Leia were lying to themselves about that.

She wasn’t going to touch that subject now though, and she turned her head to address Luke’s question. He was making a shiny’s mistake, confusing one’s age, with how much one practiced. “Obi-Wan was living on an isolated planet that Vader would rather stab himself through the heart then step foot on again.” And that was putting it mildly. Anakin had loathed that planet when he had been a Jedi. As a Sith, able to fully give into that resentment and hatred without the need to process it, she couldn’t imagine he was any fonder of it. “I was out in the galaxy. Slipping in my shielding in any way meant Inquisitors on my head.”

Leia’s gaze sharpened, “Or Vader.”

Leia really thought of him that way, Ahsoka realized. Anakin Skywalker wasn’t real to her, he was just a name. Well, why would she? If everything Ahsoka understood about what Anakin’s alternate had done to her was true, and that wasn’t even including what he did to her brother, Leia had good reason not to see the man.

“Or Vader,” Ahsoka agreed, “I knew the name, I had heard it for years, but I had never personally run into him until about four years ago.”

Ahsoka’s heart started beating a little faster, as she remembered the shock she had felt when she had reached out to that dark presence above Lothal. Her hands started moving up and down her legs as she fought the impulse to start pacing the room, Neither Luke or Leia, to say nothing of Han, would react well to that. They were all on edge, and she didn’t need to make them more so. “It was then I started having suspicions of who might be under that mask,” A suspicion she had gone to great lengths to avoid, “Malachor was finally where I was confronted with a truth I couldn't run from.”

Leia’s face hadn’t changed, but Luke was bleeding sympathy into the Force, “You were close?” he asked, “When you were his padwen?”

Automatically Ahsoka corrected the pronunciation, “ _Padawan,”_ Just what had Obi-Wan been calling Luke? “And yes, we were. He was my Master.  The only reason I am alive today is because of the lessons he taught me. If I had been anyone else’s padawan, I think I would have been dead within a month of Order Sixty-Six, even if I survived it in the first place.”

Luke offered a helpless, “I’m sorry.”

She looked at this kind man, and for a second all she could see was Padme. “It’s not your fault. Any of it.”

Leia’s voice was suspicious, “So, you are only here because you still care about him?”

The woman must think she was a fool, “Of course not,” Ahsoka’s voice grew rough, “But he wasn’t the only friend I had from that time that I desperately miss.” The memory of Padme’s face as it filled with joy as she came up and hugged Ahsoka tightly when Ahsoka had come to see her unexpectedly in her quarters, was suddenly _there_ , so sharply in Ahsoka’s mind. It took Ahsoka a minute to regain her composure “A friend who also had a child that needed protection,” she said sadly.

Han’s voice was just confused as he asked, “Who?”

Leia answered the question before Ahsoka could, “Our mother,” she told Han. There was a look of such sympathy on her face. Not once in the entire time they were speaking of Anakin did Leia show the slightest inclination of anything soft, but Padme seemed to be set aside from that judgment.

Ahsoka nodded, grief twisting her heart, “After I left the Jedi, she helped me. We were friendly before that, but I always thought it was because I was Anakin’s padawan.” A belief she had held for far too long.

“She was nice to me because she was so clearly in love with him. But she loved me,” and Ahsoka had loved her back. She felt the tears well up, “She loved me for _me._ I don’t know if he had asked only for him, what I might have said. But he also asked for _her._ ”

Luke looked at her confused, “So, you don’t care about him?”

“I-” Ahsoka stopped herself. Did she? She was angry, and she was hurt. And there was a part of her that was jealous that Leia had gotten through to Anakin, without even _trying_ , and Ahsoka had not. But Ahsoka needed to be honest in this room. It might be the only place she could be honest about this for now. Lying to herself was not an option, not about this. “It’s complicated.”

Han didn’t look convinced, “Complicated how?”

She looked at him, allowing her frustration to show. She knew it was hard for them, she did understand that. But Anakin hadn’t always been that monster in the suit. He had loved and laughed, and she was standing here, today, because he taught her everything she had needed to know. Not only how to survive, but how to be true to herself. It was a lesson that he had unfortunately failed to learn for himself, and it led him down the path he was currently on.

“Oh, I don’t know! He was my Master!” There was nothing but blank looks on Han and Leia’s faces, and a sliver of disgust on Luke’s. They didn’t understand what the word meant, not to Ahsoka, and she wasn’t sure she could explain it to them.

“When the Jedi thought I bombed the temple, he was the only one who believed in my innocence. Who fought for me! He promised he would never let anyone hurt me.” She felt her anger slip away, as she remembered how he broke that promise, “And then I was cleared of all charges. But I couldn’t _stay._ So I left him.”

And it was quite possibly the worst mistake of her life. Anakin needed people, and the Jedi Council could never admit that he did. It had been a relationship where neither of them had gotten what they wanted, Anakin a purpose, and the Jedi their ‘savior.’

“I spent sixteen years thinking that he had died during Order 66. Thinking that if I had only been _there_ …” Ahsoka’s voice trailed off as she saw no sympathy in Leia’s face. Couldn’t she understand this? That love didn’t simply stop because the person you loved did horrible things? If you were smart, you would stay away from them, but that didn’t mean the love _died_.

Luke at least, was sympathetic, “Then you learned what happened was worse than if he died.”

She nodded. She felt the frustration well in her again. She hadn’t been delusional. She _hadn’t_ been, that vision the Force had shown her of Anakin proved it. “I almost reached him. For a second, he almost let the darkness go. It was almost enough. Then…” she felt the failure sweep through her, “Then he came at me, harder than before. I failed.”

Then the anger came again as Ahsoka recalled the only reason she was standing here at all. She snorted in derision, “And then, of course, he rescues me off a planet I would have died on, and demands I protect his child!”

Leia looked offended, “I am eleven years older than him. Where does he get off calling me a child?”

That would make Leia fifty-three years old. She was older than Ahsoka. She was only four years younger than _Obi-Wan._  By the Force, what had it wrought to see its will be done?

Luke’s voice was mildly chastising “Leia, not the point.”

Ahsoka felt overwhelmed at the task put in front of her. “I thought I understood what I agreed to. He warned me about Obi-Wan,” and she still didn’t understand why Anakin had felt the need to do that, “and that you would prove to be a difficult challenge.”

Then she turned to the complication that had thrown every neat little plan she had made before coming here, out through an airlock, Luke just stood there looking innocent. “So I came here, thinking I knew what was going on. But then I meet _you,_ and once again I’m floundering.”

Han looked amused, “Yeah, they have that effect on people.”

Ahsoka ignored him. She needed them to understand how badly this was going to go when Anakin learned about Luke. Anakin was doing what he always did when he loved someone, he made them out to be a paragon of virtue, then became inevitably frustrated and disappointed when that turned out not to be true. Only this time, it was going to be worse than the other times, because now he had no reason to moderate his negative emotions when he learned how much Leia had lied to him.

“He doesn’t know about you, Luke,” Ahsoka said. Then she amended, “At least he didn't when he set me free.” Anakin definitely would have mentioned that. “As far as he is concerned, you are Leia’s husband, and that means you need to live. Even though you are training to be a Jedi. With his old master no less.”

Luke just looked confused, “Why would he care that Ben is training me?”

He didn’t know Anakin, Ahsoka reminded himself. From what she gathered, the two of them had never met. There was no way he could understand how _possessive_ Anakin could be, even when he wasn’t being spurred on by the Dark Side. Anakin would have loathed any padawan Obi-Wan would have taken on, even when he was a Jedi. Now, Luke was lucky that Anakin thought he was Leia’s husband, it was sparing him from most of Anakin’s wrath. Anakin might hide behind his lies that killing Luke would be about killing just another Jedi padawan, but Ahsoka knew better.

“He has no idea you’re his son. And when he finds out,” she felt the slightest hint of disturbance in the Force. Prophecy or seeing the future, that had never been her strength, but even so it would take a blind man to miss the ripples of this. “It’s not going to be pretty, for anyone.”

Leia’s tone was durasteel, “We are going to keep Luke a secret for as long as we can. That is not negotiable Ahsoka. If you are going to run off and tell him, I’ll-“

Ahsoka cut her off, amused, how very much Leia reminded her of Anakin at this moment, “Kill me?”

Leia took it the wrong way. She was rather a prickly one, wasn’t she? And that was all on her, none of her parents had that particular trait. “You think I can’t?”

Given that Ahsoka had no idea what skills she actually did have, she wasn’t going to discount anything Leia was capable of until she saw her in action, “No. I think you have a better chance than most. But it isn’t necessary. I’m not going to tell him. I just know that the truth has a way of finding itself free.”

Leia laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Oh, I am well aware of that.” Just what happened between Anakin and Luke in that other time? “But I can handle Vader, Luke isn’t ready for that, at least not yet.”

Now that was a surprise. Ahsoka would have thought Leia would have had Luke waiting in the wings, ready to kill Anakin by surprise. Of course, that was only taking Leia’s feelings into it, not Luke’s. Ahsoka a glance at Luke. He looked uncomfortable at the prospect of meeting Anakin, but not horrified. That was interesting, perhaps the twins weren’t of the same mind about him. “You don’t think you can hide him forever?”

“No,” Leia said as she shook her head, “No, but I can damn well make sure he's not a sitting target when Vader does learn about him.” Well, Leia was apparently very practical as well as being vicious.

Luke looked affronted, “Standing right _here_.”

Han shook his head, “She isn’t wrong kid.”

Ahsoka looked at the woman who would be deciding her fate and decided to push now. She had said everything that she was going to say, “So, Leia. Now that I’ve disclosed everything I will and will not do for Vader, and you have properly threatened to kill me if I screw up, what’s your decision on me staying?”

There was a long pause, and Ahsoka wondered if she had just gambled every remaining person and purpose she had, away, on behalf of a dead friend, and a Master who had tried to kill her.

There was the faintest sigh in the Force, and Leia shrugged. “It’s up to you,” she told Ahsoka, “I’m not going to protest if you stay here.” She looked at her thoughtfully, “I would advise you to tell Obi-Wan how you ended up here, so he isn’t hurt when he finds out later.”

Relief so great it was almost painful filled Ahsoka’s heart. She didn’t have to leave. She could stay here, with Rex and Obi-Wan.

She slapped her hands on her legs, a move she hadn’t done since she was a teenager, “Great!” Then seeing the hurt on Han’s face, and Luke’s in the Force, she found a way out of the room, “Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m starving, and I have a lunch date to get to.” And she hurried away.

 

Obi-Wan looked her up and down, “You are in one piece,” he remarked drolly as Ahsoka entered his quarters.

“They are quite the trio,” Ahsoka said lightly, sitting on the floor. He had moved two pillows to the floor, probably in deference to both of their aging knees. There were two covered trays set in front of the pillows.  She looked around curiously at the room. It was spacious, for a military base, and Obi-Wan was its only occupant if the single bed was to go by.

He blushed under her scrutiny, “I’m sorry we don’t have a table to sit at,” he said, “I don’t have many visitors to this room besides Luke, and I-”

She reached out and gently laid her hand over his. “It’s fine Obi-Wan,” she said, interrupting his babble “The pleasure of your company is enough.”

He gave her a shy smile back, and she settled back into her seat, withdrawing her hand. “In all seriousness Ahsoka,” he said, voice nervous, “I don’t know why Leia felt the need-“

Ahsoka waved a hand, cutting him off, “It’s fine,” she told him, “I’ve faced scarier,” and his face grew pale.

“Yes,” he murmured, “you have.” He looked at her, so many questions in his eyes, but all he said was, “Rex told me you were lost to Vader on Malachor.”

No mention on _how_ he managed to feel her disappear in the Force. Ahsoka let it be, he wasn’t the only one with secrets in this conversation. “I would have been,” she said, “If it hadn’t been for a Jedi Padawan named Ezra Bridger.”

“Ezra?” Obi-Wan looked at her interested. “He saved you?”

Ahsoka looked at him in surprise. How did Obi-Wan know Ezra? If she ever saw him again, she was going to give him a _very_ stern lecture about giving more complete reports. Especially since they had been in a place where time didn’t really _exist,_ and he could have taken as long as he wanted.  “Yes,” she said, “Him _and_ his teacher, Kanan Jarrus.” She felt her hands tighten into fists, and then she deliberately relaxed them, “Kanan’s will in the Cosmic Force led Ezra to me.”

Obi-Wan nodded, “Yes, Rex told me about Kanan, and what happened to him and Ezra,” and then he gave her a sympathetic look “You were close to them?” he asked.

Ahsoka nodded, “Closer to Ezra then Kanan, but yes,” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in. “Kanan made his choice, and willingly. I only hope that with time, we can find Ezra.”

Obi-Wan took a deep breath in, “When this is all over, I hope so too.” He gave Ahsoka a sad smile, “I only met him the once, but he seemed a remarkable young man.”

“Ezra went to Tatooine?” Ahsoka asked, shocked. “When? _Why?_ ” How did so many people keep ending up on that dustball of a planet?

“About two years ago,” Obi-Wan looked far away, “He was searching for me to warn me about Maul.”

The Ghost crew had mentioned that part, that Ezra had been haunted by an increasing number of flashes of Maul reaching out to him in the Force. Ahsoka hadn’t put it together earlier, that was how Maul had found Obi-Wan. “Oh,” Ahsoka said. “And Ezra led him right to you.”

Obi-Wan nodded, eyes distant. Then he looked at her, one eyebrow arched, and Ahsoka resisted the urge to duck her head at that disappointed gaze “And what, pray tell, drove you to go to Malachor in the _first_ place?” he asked.

“It’s a long story,” Ahsoka said tiredly, “involving a vision of Master Yoda and the Lothal Temple.”

“Master Yoda?” Obi-Wan looked surprised,

She nodded “The Force took his form,” she said. “He didn’t talk to me, not directly, but he did tell Ezra that the answers we were seeking were on Malachor.”

Obi-Wan went very still, “He didn’t talk to you?” he asked. “Are you sure it was him?”

Ahsoka nodded, “He waved goodbye to me,” she said, “As we were leaving the temple. I know it sounds crazy, it was the Force, but I could _feel_ part of him in that vision Obi-Wan.”

Obi-Wan frowned, then put his face in his hands, saying something under his breath Ahsoka couldn’t quite catch.

“Obi-Wan?” she asked.

He looked up at her, and waved his hand, “Something for later, please, do go on.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, thinking of Leia saying that she had _talked_ to Qui-Gon, and he had been dead for at least thirty years. She wondered if Yoda’s ghost was going to get a very lengthy, and grumpy, lecture when she left this room.

He nodded, irritation melting away as he looked at her. “How did Ezra save you?” he asked.

Ahsoka looked at him, but he refused to answer her unspoken question. Shrugging, she announced, “Apparently the Lothal Temple could be used to access a mystical world, built of time and the Force.” She gave him the blandest look she could “Did you know it could do that? Because I sure didn’t. It was quite the surprise, and that is saying a lot, coming from me.”

Obi-Wan looked at her for one long moment and then burst out laughing. Shaking his head, he gave her a conspiratorial smile, “Do you ever wonder about our lives sometimes?”

Ahsoka grinned back, “Constantly,” she said, “I think Han is right, it’s like a badly written holo drama,” then her humor slipped away. She looked at Obi-Wan, whose own face grew serious at her change of mood, “The one where your closest friend turns to evil, another one dies mysteriously, another one fakes his death, and there are long lost twins are hidden away.” She glared at him now, “One of them as an actual _Princess_ ,” she emphasized.

“You know about Luke and Leia?” he whispered.

She narrowed her eyes at him, “How could anyone who knew Anakin and Padme not see it?” she demanded back. “Leia is Padme’s _spitting_ image. And when you put her next to Luke…” her voice trailed off at the shake of Obi-Wan’s head.

“There’s no one left,” he whispered. “There is no one here that knew they were together, that saw them together,” he looked at her stricken, “Rex asked me the same question, and the answer is there is no one left.”

“Mon knew Padme,” Ahsoka whispered.

Obi-Wan looked haunted, “But _not_ Anakin,” he said. “I’m sure she has her suspicions on who Leia’s birth mother actually is, but since Padme was interred looking pregnant, she had no proof.” He looked haunted, “And I have no idea if she was aware of the rumors surrounding Anakin and Padme’s relationship.”

“People knew Padme was pregnant?” Had everyone known that, except Ahsoka?

“Not until she died,” Obi-Wan said. “According to Bail, it was quite the scandal on Naboo. The Queen at the time, Apailana, struck it from all public records.” He gave a shake of his head, “Even her parents didn’t know she was pregnant until her funeral.”

“Do they know they have grandchildren?” Ahsoka asked.

Again Obi-Wan shook his head “No,” he said, “It was too risky to tell them then, and later…” he sighed, “Bail never found a way to let them know safely.”

“So, to protect Luke and Leia, you cut them off from their family?” Ahsoka asked dubiously.

Obi-Wan looked at her sharply, “It was for their protection as well Ahsoka. Padme is still incredibly popular on Naboo, not to mention her status among the Empire,” his face twisted in disgust, “Her family is under intense scrutiny, at _all_ times.”

“They’re pro-Imperial?” Ahsoka asked, shocked. How could Padme be raised by people who would willingly think that way?

Obi-Wan looked thoughtful, “I don’t know,” he answered. “They might just be trying to survive.”

Ahsoka thought on that for a moment. There was a lot people would look away from, in order to survive. “So, you raised Luke?” she asked.

Obi-Wan looked surprised, “No,” he said. “I didn’t. I took him to his family.”

Ahsoka frowned, “I thought Anakin’s mother was dead,” she said.

“His stepbrother, Owen Lars,” Obi-Wan told her, “Along with his wife, Beru.”

It made Ahsoka feel a little better about the decision Obi-Wan had made. Clearly, Leia had to be protected, and from what it sounded like, giving her and Luke to Padme’s family would have drawn entirely too much attention to them. Palpatine had certainly been aware of the relationship between Anakin and Padme. And while heartbreaking for them, twins in the Force were twice as hard to hide. For their own sakes, it probably had been best they had been split up.

“Are the Lars’ here?” she asked, wondering about this part of Anakin’s life she had never knew about.

Obi-Wan’s face fell, “No,” he said, “They were killed by the Empire.”

Ahsoka let out a deep sigh. That answer, unfortunately, was all too common in the galaxy. “So his family is why you didn’t start training him until he was a teenager?” she asked.

Obi-Wan just gave her an odd look, “What makes you think I started training him then?” he asked.

She waved her hand, “It took Ezra two years to get to this point with his control and shields. I just thought, based on that…” her voice trailed off. By the amused look on his face, she was very off on that guess. “How long?” she whispered.

“Since the Battle of Alderaan,” Obi-Wan said.

Ahsoka tried to catch her breath. “What,” she gasped. He only looked at her, waiting for her tongue to catch up with her mind “What do you mean Luke has been only training for _six_ months?”

Obi-Wan looked thoughtful at that, “Five really?” His face grew clouded, “He took some time off because of a…disagreement,”

 _“Five?”_ Ahsoka looked at Obi-Wan, “How?”

Obi-Wan’s face grew amused, “Well, he does have a slight advantage over Ezra, but yes, he does learn things frighteningly fast.”

Ahsoka’s eyes narrowed, “Advantage?” she asked. “What advantage?”

“Not important now,” Obi-Wan waved her question away.

“Obi-Wan,” Ahsoka wheezed, terrified at what this implied about Luke. What it implied _for_ Luke, “What will he become?”

Obi-Wan’s clear blue eyes met hers, “I don’t know,” he said, “I can only give him my support and knowledge. It is up to Luke to decide on what he chooses to embrace, the light or the dark.”

Ahsoka heard it, for all that Obi-Wan didn’t say it. _“Unlike Anakin.”_

“What happened to Anakin?” Ahsoka whispered. If there was anyone living in the galaxy who knew the answer to that question, it was Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Obi-Wan’s face grew shuttered. “I don’t know,” he said.

Ahsoka’s hands fisted at her sides, “I think I’ve been lied to by enough people I trusted Obi-Wan,” she said dangerously.

He looked at her, and she was surprised to see tears in his eyes, “No Ahsoka, I don’t know. Not really. I have some good guesses, but I wasn’t _there_.” He wiped away the tears from his face, “I was on Utapau. I had been sent there to hunt Grievous,” A bitter smile crossed his face, “By special request of the Chancellor himself.”

“Palpatine isolated him,” Ahsoka said. She had been on Malachor with Rex. That left only Padme, and she had to have been heavily pregnant by that point. It would have taken all of them to help balance Anakin anyway, given how worn out he was when Ahsoka saw him on Mandalore.

“Yes,” Obi-Wan agreed. “And when I _miraculously_ survived Order 66, and made my way back to Coruscant, the Temple was,” his face crumbled in grief.

Ashoka shook her head, “Enough,” she said firmly.

Obi-Wan looked at her, “What?” he asked.

She squared her shoulders, “I said enough,” she said.

She could still tell he was upset, but that emotion was being replaced by confusion, “You don’t want to know what happened?” he asked.

“Yes,” Ahsoka said, “I do. But not today. Or at least not _now._ ” She gestured to Obi-Wan “Rex is right. This is a good day. You’re here.” She put her hand on her chest, “I’m here. We can do all the dark and gloomy another time.” Time which she now had, thanks to Leia. “This, this is a _good_ day.”

“It is?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said brightly, “I get to sit down, and have a meal with a dear friend I haven’t seen in ages, as we savor,” and she gestured down to the covered trays on the floor, “What did you get for us to eat?”

His voice was still watery, but he managed to say, “You have a choice between ration bars or ration bars.”

She let out a little huff of disappointment “That does bring the mood down a bit,” she said, and was delighted when he gave her a watery chuckle, “But my point still stands.”

“You are right,” he said, relaxing a bit on his pillow, “It has been ages since I had someone to gossip with.”

“Do you even _know_ any gossip?” Ahsoka asked.

“No,” Obi-Wan said. “Oh, yes! I do. Leia wants to get me a naked friend, and there are bets all over the base on who it’s going to be.”

Ahsoka let out a giggle “She wants to find you a _what?_ ”

“A naked friend,” he said cheerfully, “Which is patently ridiculous because I do not need one. And there are also bets going around the base that Leia, Luke, and Han are all going to end up in a triad of some kind.”

“Okay,” Ahsoka said slowly, wondering where he was going with this. She reached down and pulled the cover off her ration bars, and picked it up.

“No, you haven’t heard the best part of that. Leia placed a bet on Han and _Luke_ getting together so that speculation would bring down the odds on her and Han.”

“Why would she do that?” Ahsoka asked, and nudged the tray to Obi-Wan, reminding him to eat.

Obi-Wan absently leaned over and picked it up, “So that her friend, Evaan, can clean up on the bets she made on Leia and Han getting together.”

Ahsoka gave a wide grin, “I knew I liked her,” she said appreciatively.

That was how the rest of their lunch went. No heavy topics, just increasingly outlandish and funny stories about what had happened to them over the last nineteen years. Ahsoka was so wrapped up in what she was doing, that when the chrono on her wrist beeped, it took her a moment to remember why.

She looked at the chrono and swore. “Hell,” she groaned, “I have a meeting with Mon in five minutes.”

Obi-Wan looked slightly alarmed. “For what?” he asked.

Ahsoka shrugged, “She probably wants a briefing of what I have been up to over the last three years,” she said lightly.

“And what are you going to tell her?” Obi-Wan asked.

“The truth,” Ahsoka said, coming to her feet, “That I was trapped on Malachor.”

Obi-Wan looked at her sternly. “It is the truth,” Ahsoka protested. “Technically I didn’t leave Malachor.” He didn’t look any more appeased as he came to his feet.

“What am I supposed to tell her?” Ahsoka asked, “It was all weird Jedi stuff?”

He sighed, “You have been hanging out with Rex too long,” he chided her, “He is a horrible influence on your vocabulary.”

She grinned, and darted forward, giving Obi-Wan a hug, just because she could.

“Don’t worry,” she told him “I’m sure it’s nothing. After all what else could she possibly want from me? I’ll meet her, and then you and I can get together later okay?”

Obi-Wan crossed his eyes, “You've done it now,” he said. “You’ve set forth a challenge, and the Force will find a way to answer it.”

Ahsoka shook her head, laughing, “Let it try,” she said, “I think I can handle any surprise it throws at me from now on.” Then she headed to Mon’s office, a happy beat to her heart.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation into 中文 available: [[Translation]Scenes from the Middle Game ](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12570572/chapters/28631816) by[Acyancat](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Acyancat/pseuds/Acyancat)


End file.
